Ascension
by TheLawfulWaffle
Summary: Shiba Tatsuya had the powers of a god. When the operation to give him the powers of a magician is deemed a complete success, he ascends to become something even greater. But what could possibly be more powerful than a god?
1. Chapter 1: Operation Success

**Tatsuya Shiba is one of the most (if not the most) badass characters I've ever seen. Being ridiculously overpowered is awesome, so I'm writing this to make him even better.**

**This is a story about Shiba Tatsuya if the operation done by Miya actually succeeded in giving him a complete and proper Magical Calculation Area. His skills as a magician will be on par with Miyuki (minus Decomposition and Regrowth).**

**Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei isn't mine.**

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><p><strong>(Yotsuba Mansion, 2083)<strong>

_Knock! Knock!_

"Come in." Her voice came out almost like a whisper. It was soft, but seemed loud in the heavy silence broken only by the knocking at her door. She could hear the hinges squeak as she continued to stare outside her window. The night was brilliant, lit with stars. More dazzling than her sister's.

"Miya-sama. You're as beautiful as ever."

"I'm a married woman, doctor." A small smile crept onto her face.

"I was merely complimenting your appearance, Miya-sama." Of course. He had been working for the Yotsuba family for decades, and she knew he meant nothing of it. "In times such as these, I believe a small compliment can go a long way."

"You are too kind." She finally tore her eyes away from the stars, and turned around. An ornate wooden table separated the two. He stood upright with his long white lab coat, glasses, and old face. One arm hung to his side, but the other held a small plastic bag. "Are we ready?"

"Yes, ma'am. Just give the word, and we will begin preparations for the operation." Miya looked at his impassive face. Despite his words, he seemed to show no emotion. Or perhaps she simply couldn't recognize any emotion. Countless years of abusing her magic had left her own mind crippled in ways she didn't know. Her memories stayed intact, as did her intellect, and skill. However, there was always this feeling eating away in the back of her mind. She felt like she was losing something. She just wasn't sure it was exactly.

"Good. Prepare the room." She nodded. He bowed before lifting up the bag.

"And these?" He dumped the contents onto the table. It was piles upon piles of hard drives taken from every computer that contained information on their experiment.

"I'm sorry, but you know what we must do. We cannot risk that data being released to the public. It is far too unethical." She knew that was his life's work that she was erasing. His many years spent researching and experimenting were all scattered upon that wooden table. "It's your work, doctor. Therefore it should be your right to end it. I trust you will do so before our operation is finished."

"Of course." Whether or not he was shielding his emotions from losing many decades of his life, she could not tell. However, she did stop him before he walked out the door.

"Dr. Kitayama." He did not turn around. "It has been a pleasure working with you these past years. You are the reason this project bore fruit."

The man did not turn, but still bowed one last time before walking out of the room, drives in hand. Sometimes a compliment, some appreciation, was all anyone really needed.

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><p><strong>(Yotsuba Mansion, East Wing)<strong>

**(40 hours before the operation)**

Miya reached her son's room to hear his fingers rapidly flying across the keyboard. _Tap, tap, tap, tap!_ She opened the door to see what her son was doing, but only stared in shock as the video on his screen played out in front of her.

There she was. CAD in hand, with Dr. Kitayama beside her. Activation sequences appearing on the screen. Then, Kitayama spoke.

"Miya-sama, the operation is a success. An Artificial Magician has been created." Miya looked at the boy on the operation table. She remembered him. Small thing. Youngest son of a lesser family. Born without magical potential, he was a large disgrace to his family. They gave him up for the experiment without batting an eyelid.

The video cut. It was Dr. Kitayama again, only this time, at his desk.

"Ah, the date is March 15, 2083. The subject has unfortunately died this morning at approximately 12 o'clock noon. It has been almost 60 hours since the operation was completed. We don't know what happened. While the operation was successful in creating another Magic Calculation Area in his limbic system, he did not gain any ability to manipulate the information bodies at all. Despite the operation, he is still unable to use magic. The Artificial Magician Project has failed."

Then the log ended. There were no more logs. No more experiments. This was that last one.

"You know, we did figure out why he died. His brain overloaded. It couldn't make sense of the information bodies." Miya made her presence known, and her son instantly spun around with a shocked look on his face. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. As long as word of this reaches out to no one."

Much of the tension that had suddenly appeared on his face eased. He would never rat out his family.

"I came to tell you that you will be having an operation in less than two days time." She watched as his eyes darted back to the screen, then back to her. She merely nodded. "Now tell me, where did you get those disks. I had them destroyed."

Kitayama would never have betrayed her like this. He knew the implications if that researched was leaked. Not only would it tarnish the Yotsuba name, but it would bring down the Ten Master Clans on them all at once. Neither she nor her sister was prepared for that.

"They were. I was curious, so I fixed them. I'm sorry." Tatsuya looked down. His cheeks reddened, evidently still ashamed at what he had done despite her forgiveness.

"No matter. Whether you know what is happening or not does not change my decision. The operation is still scheduled for two days time." She moved to leave, but stopped as he grabbed the hem of her dress.

"Wait." His voice was soft. Like he was almost afraid. "Your method... It's wrong. The operation won't work."

She was less angry than curious to his words. She knew it was going to work. The theory was sound.

"Nonsense. Your Magical Calculation Area is already dominated by your...abilities. Adding another will only serve to give your mind the space to work on actual magic." The words 'actual magic' seemed to sting as the boy twitched at those words. However, the truth often hurts the most. Tatsuya Shiba was not a magician. At least not as of right now, anyways. He was born with the ability to destroy information bodies, and restore them to previous states. Magic was the innate power to _manipulate_ these information bodies. To change and edit them to your will. In the purest sense and therefore in the Yotsuba's eyes, Tatsuya was a non-magician. The lowest of people, but not for long. That was the goal.

"Tatsuya, the boy in the video died, because his brain tried to analyze the foreign information bodies. For a non-magician, it overtaxed his brain. Even though you're not a magician, your brain will not overload from analyzing the information bodies. There is nothing wrong. What this does prove, however, is that non-magicians will never become magicians." This was good. She hoped it would stay this way. To think that non-magicians could acquire some dominance over the field of magicians is nigh blasphemous. This was the exact result she had hoped for.

"But the experiments before that? They were on a magician." So he had watched all of the videos.

"Yes, but those operations all failed."

"Not the last one. The last magician, I mean." She narrowed her eyes. Was her son doubting her experiments?

"It did fail. She died hours later."

"Not because of the operation."

"The operation is the only explanation. How else could she have died?"

"It's because you're creating two completely separate Magical Calculation Areas. " Tatsuya began, but then looked up for permission to continue. Miya nodded in a way that meant 'keep going'. "After the operation she has two Magical Calculation Areas. They are distinct, and cannot communicate with each other."

Miya nodded. That was the basis behind her Mental Design Interference: to create a separate Area for the brain to use.

"That's the issue. When the girl tried to cast magic, her brain took in the information, but allocated it randomly to each Area. The brain doesn't understand how to use its resources, only that it can, so it dumps part of the information in the original Area, and part of it in the new Area. But that means all the information is a jumbled mess. Trying to draw out magic and change from incomplete information is impossible, so the brain takes in more to try and fill the gaps.

"This doesn't work because the necessary information isn't out in the world waiting to be gathered. It's in a completely isolated Calculation Area. The second half of the puzzle can't be found. So when the brain draws more information, it only grabs more jumbled garbage. This process stacks recursively. More mess means no magic. No magic means gathering more information. More information just creates an even larger mess. Soon, the brain overloads from the sheer amount of information trying to be stored. That's why having two distinct Magical Calculation Areas won't work. It's flawed."

As Tatsuya spoke, Miya nodded and followed his logic. His theory seemed to explain the problem well. She nor the other researchers ever thought about this as the reason. They didn't know exactly how her Mental Design Interference worked. They were there for the theories, and to work through the experiments, but armed with only partial understanding, they didn't get very far.

Tatsuya however, seemed to have dissected her role in the experiment down to the last cell. He saw what she was doing. How she was doing it. He then projected it, and extrapolated a conclusion. However, his conclusion wouldn't change anything.

"This will not be an issue for you. In your case, your brain cannot even allocate data to your original Calculation Area. There's simply no space. All of the data will be transferred to your new Calculation Area, and that will be all."

"Yes, but inefficiently." Another curveball. Efficiency?

"Explain yourself."

"The architecture you are designing for the new Magical Calculation Area is not the same as my brain's original one. The response time will be slow and limited. If I am able to use magic, it would be slow and impractical."

"Then what are you trying to say?" She wasn't sure what his point was. Inefficient, possibly. But having a bad magician was better than having no magician, right?

"...Mother, what would you do if you had a General CAD that was too slow?" A simple question.

"Get a Specialized one." It dawned on her. "...You want a specialized Magical Calculation Area that mimics the way your own brain works?"

He nodded.

"Impossible. I am the one casting the magic, and I don't know how your brain works. There is no Activation Sequence that we can develop that will do such at thing."

One last surprise.

"Not true." Tatsuya switched tabs, and out popped CAD engineering software. He had been typing a long list of code. "This is the Activation Sequence. I analyzed every time you used your magic hundreds of times until I got this right. I think... Anyways, I changed some stuff around, but this should work. I modeled it after both my mag – I mean, abilities."

She looked at the code. It was incredibly similar to her own, yet different as well. Many pieces were changed, but the overall integrity of her magic still held. It might just work. Wordlessly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her CAD. She held it out to him.

Tatsuya immediately understood, and delicately took the CAD from her hands. He connected it to his computer and uploaded the file. Upon completion, Miya left her son alone without another word.

She couldn't say anything. What was there to say? He was not a magician, and he was a failure to the Yotsuba family. Then why was she smiling?

At the end of the day, she retired to her bedroom, the smile still present on her face. He was a non-magician, but even so, her conversation with him that morning proved one thing to be true: if there was one thing she could praise, it was his intelligence.

* * *

><p><strong>(Yotsuba Mansion)<strong>

**(5 minutes before the operation)**

"Mother." Tatsuya laid down on the operating table. The cold metal sent chills down his spine. "After I become a magician, can you promise me one thing?"

Miya looked at her sister. Maya was smiling. 'After I become a magician.' Perhaps he deserving of that respect.

"Yes?"

Tatsuya could already feel the anesthetic kicking in. His senses dulled and his mind grew weary.

"You'll never use your magic again... It hurts you. I know it. Promise me."

But Tatsuya never heard the next words as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Log 114. Dr. Kitayama; Yotsuba. Artificial Magician Experiment**

"This is Dr. Kitayama. I know I said the last one was going to be the last log, but I lied. We had one more experiment to do. The subject's name is Shiba Tatsuya, tentatively Yotsuba Tatsuya. It depends on what happens next. There's good new and bad news. Bad news is his limbic system has suffered some damage. This was to be expected. He'll lose some strong emotions, but it seems as if the Magical Calculation Area has settled in very nicely within his mind. I fear what might have happened had Miya-sama not refined her magic. At least in his current situation, strong stimuli should still be able to revive those deeper emotions, although I cannot be certain.

"More bad news. Shiba Miya has also suffered mentally from her magic. It drains too much, and is of a very high cost. Something peculiar happened. Right before the operation began, Tatsuya requested that Miya-sama stop using her magic for good. A tall request, but it will ultimately be beneficial to her health. With some proper rest and reduced stress, she should recover without any problems.

"Good news. Well, ah. I sort of already mentioned the good news. No matter. I'll repeat myself. The new Magical Calculation Area has settled in very nicely within his mind. It seems to have fully integrated itself with Tatsuya's original Magical Calculation Area. Theoretically, Tatsuya should have full command over magic like any other magician. This, coupled with his...abilities. Can we call them magics now? I do not know. Regardless, this new Tatsuya will be quite the fearsome magician, indeed. Only time will tell how this will pan out.

"One more thing. All of the other logs will be deleted. I cannot bring myself to part with decades upon decades of my life. So I shall keep this one log alive. No files, no data, just this one recording. If anyone else reads this, do not search for the other 113 logs. They no longer exist. Hah. Just look at me. Talking as if this was going to be some historical documentary or something. As if something like this would ever be that important. Chances are I'll take this to my grave. That should be pretty soon.

"Ah, I'm rambling. I suppose I will end the log here. The date is April 30, 2083. It has been a pleasure working here. I am proud to say that the Artificial Magician Experiment is a success."

-End of Log-

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><p><strong>Bam! Chapter 1.<strong>

**Ok, so I know I broke some rules here, but that's how it has to be.**

**Tatsuya can use regrowth before Okinawa, but it isn't as instant.**

**I hope you didn't find the explanations too confusing. If you've read the light novels, they get pretty technical. Let me know if you think it should be toned down.  
><strong>

**Please leave a review with any concerns or criticisms. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2: Redemption

**Hi everyone! I hope you've had a wonderful New Years. Best of luck to everyone in 2015.**

**Surprise fast update! I don't think the next one will come as quickly.  
><strong>

**Here's a thank you to everyone who followed/favorite-ed/reviewed. I'm glad you're enjoying this as much as I am.**

**Anyways, here's some answers to a few questions I was asked.**

**Q&A:**

**So there's been a few questions about the characters, what's going to happen, who am I shipping, etc. I will try to answer them here.**

**Is Tatsuya going to be the Yotsuba heir?**

**Short answer: Yes.**

**Long answer: It's not going to really be that easy. As the eldest son of a the head of a branch member, he is a candidate for the position, but he won't just be declared instantly on the spot. Maya does want him to lead the clan, but he is far from being able to actually lead the Yotsuba. Also, the Yotsuba like to keep their secrets to themselves, so they won't declare their heir until that person is ready.**

**Also, is Miyuki going to become his guardian?**  
><strong>Short Answer: No<strong>  
><strong>Longer answer: Read to understand why. But other than that, yes the whole guardian-thing does follow canon.<strong>

**Is the story going to follow canon?**  
><strong>Short Answer: NA**  
><strong>Long Answer: Sort of? It's going to have the same events as canon, but the different set-up causes these events to change. Just because Tatsuya's a real magician now doesn't mean the Nine Schools Competition won't be held. It's just that what happens during those events will change. Of course, it will get to a point where I will diverge from canon, but I assure you, I will try my best to make everything sensible.<strong>

**Tatsuya x ?**  
><strong>Short Answer: Uh...<strong>  
><strong>Long Answer: I'm afraid to answer this question. If you mean by who will he end up getting together with and marrying in the future, I'll probably have to say Mayumi. BUT WAIT... Before any of you Miyuki-fans assassinate me, I'll have you know that Tatsuya and Miyuki will show enough brotherlysisterly love that you might as well call them married. (Oh wait, people already do... ha) For all you other fans (Tatsuya x Masaki), I'm sorry.**

**It's also a good reminder that this isn't exactly a romance fic, and while I do believe that a relationship is important for Tatsuya to develop, having connections with all the characters, not just his SO, is what is important. Just throwing that out there...**

**Okay, I've answered enough questions. Let us continue!**

**Chapter 2!**

**If I own a waffle-maker, then Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei is a pancake.**

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><p><strong>(Yotsuba Mansion)<strong>

It was difficult to get used to. Both for him, and for them. They would always look at him and wonder if he truly was a magician or not. A few weeks ago, he couldn't even cause a ball to roll across the room. Now, he was sitting on the floor playing single-player Pong by accelerating two wooden boards and a ball. His progress was astounding.

So was he a magician or not? He sure looked like one. Acted like one. Used the same magics as everyone else, to the same efficiency. No, an even higher efficiency. His phenomena rewriting capabilities were unparalleled, and soon many began to see him as a magician, artificial or not.

If it looks like a magician and it quacks like a magician, then it most certainly is a magician. At least that's what the Yotsuba family seemed to take from this.

And as for him, the world changed. Quite literally. He reached out into the information dimension, reading it and understanding it. His elemental sight was a power unique only to him, and it served quite the purpose.

Break down the code. Read it. Rebuild it. Move. Magic.

The board he was moving slowed to a stop as the ball flew towards it with perfect accuracy.

Break. Read. Rebuild. Add perpendicular relations to the floor and wall. Lock distance. Fix. Magic.

The board remained steady and the ball ricocheted off of the board as if the board were a wall instead.

"Shiba. Uh, -san. Shiba-san?" Tatsuya broke his concentration and turned his head. The other paddle never moved to intercept the ball, and said ball bounced harmlessly to the ground. It was strange to hear those words. Shiba, and san used in the same sentence. Weird when it referred to himself. By the way the man stuttered, it was strange for him as well.

"Yes?"

"Your mother has requested that you meet her in the main room. She wishes to speak with you in private." Tatsuya raised his eyebrow. What would his mother want to do with him at the moment? He was sure he wasn't in trouble.

"Thank you." He stood up and made to leave before he suddenly stopped. The man who delivered the message was still standing there looking at him. "...May I ask why you are still standing here?"

"It's customary, sir. I will leave when dismissed, or when you exit the room." Tatsuya blinked. Of course. How could he forget? He was in that same position only weeks ago.

"You are dismissed." The man bowed and quickly walked away, not wanting to be in such a situation any longer. This would take some getting used to.

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><p>"You asked for me?" Tatsuya bowed slightly as he strolled into the main room. The first thing he noticed was the two other people present besides his mother.<p>

Both Miya and Maya sat next to each other on the ornate red sofa while Miyuki sat on her knees. The three looked at his entrance.

"Good morning. Onii-san." Tatsuya's eye twitched. 'Nii-san' sounded so strange coming from Miyuki. She had ignored him all these years before. He lived only as her shadow, protecting her. It was strange to talk to your own shadow. Nevertheless, Tatsuya responded.

"Good morning, Miyuki." He turned towards his mother. "Mother. I am surprised to see Miyuki and our aunt here. I was told this would be a private conversation."

"We are here to discuss your current situation. This will affect Miyuki, and your aunt is the one to make the decisions, which is why both of them are here. Now sit down." She motioned at the empty space next to Miyuki.

He too, knelt on the carpet. Maya finally spoke.

"Ah, Tatsuya. So nice to see you." Tatsuya furrowed his brow. His aunt never showed any sort of affection towards him. Only to Miyuki. He was honestly surprised to see her talking to him in the first place. Normally, he wouldn't even exist in the conversation, much less be greeted by the head of the house. Tatsuya didn't know what to say, so he only dipped his head in acknowledgment.

"And how are you faring in terms of magic?" The important question. She wanted to know whether or not he was a magician or not.

"It's going fine."

"Only fine? Your mother here tells me you've been improving by leaps and bounds." He looked up at his aunt. Despite her calm and neutral appearance, he could see the glee in her eyes.

"I will admit it is coming to me quite naturally. However, I do not have near enough proficiency to say I am a skilled magician."

"That's not an issue. You will begin classes with Miyuki starting tomorrow. I trust that will not be an issue?" Maya looked at Miyuki who only shook her head. "Very good. Now that you are a true magician, I hereby welcome you to the Yotsuba house. And as custom, you are removed from your guardian duties. A new guardian will be assigned to Miyuki within a few days."

At those words, Tatsuya's head shot up. Relieved of his guardian duties? What? Impossible. He felt some nagging feeling boiling at the pit of his stomach. He knew not what it was, but it agitated him. His eyes narrowed as he stared coldly at his aunt. He quickly rose to his feet.

"I must refuse. I will remain Miyuki's guardian." He didn't expect the world to suddenly turn dark. He could see the lines of code swarming around him as tiny orbs of light appeared one after the other. They barely illuminated his aunt's face, but they did, and what he saw was a face of pure wicked terror. His eyes widened as his mind dropped back into a defensive combat scenario. His eyes darted from one orb to the next, and in the very next instant, the orbs shattered with the darkness slowly fading.

However, those brilliant lines streams of information was engraved in his mind. Ever since the operation, he had become conscious of his own magic, and the magic around him. This, along with his Elemental Sight, allowed him to take in vast amounts of data from external phenomena. Those first few lines of Meteor Stream, dubbed 'Night', were engraved in his mind. He filed away that information for later potential use.

His heart pounded as he stayed in a fighting position, his arms up ready to defend himself, and Miyuki. It was his job as a guardian, after all.

"Tatsuya. Calm down." His mother's voice brought him back as he looked once at his mother, and once at his aunt. The latter kept a smug grin. He knew she didn't purposely cast her spell, because if she did use Meteor Stream in an attempt to kill him, she would have succeeded. Not that it would have mattered, but he wouldn't have been able to dispel her sequences with Decomposition. Not from a surprise attack like that. He watched as his mother turned towards her sister. "And you. Could you be so kind as to not threaten my children?"

"My apologies. It was only a reflexive response." Miya said nothing and just rolled her eyes.

"Tatsuya, you are now a member of this household, which means you have duties and responsibilities to tend to. You can't stay with your sister every second of every hour. It is within everyone's best interests to follow through with your aunt's decision." The logic was sound. Sort of. Not really.

"I am best suited to be her guardian."

"A Yotsuba cannot be expected to die for another Yotsuba. That kind of thinking does nothing to change how our numbers thin. This is why the guardian system exists. It is an honor for those without power to give their lives in exchange for those who do. You will come to understand this, for this is why our clan has remained alive and strong for so long."

"I disagree."

"I'm not asking you to agree. I'm telling you what is going to happen." Tatsuya clenched his teeth. He wasn't mad. It was strange, because he was almost certain such a response would pick at his anger. Instead, he only felt agitated.

"Very well."

"However, you are a special case. Allocating a guardian to you is a waste of clan resources. You do not need one. Anything that a guardian can stop, you will survive. Anything a guardian cannot stop, chances are you still will survive. In this case, having a guardian won't change anything. Therefore, I conclude it is best to place the guardian in another position where he or she might be better used to a greater efficiency."

He couldn't argue with her logic. In fact, he was glad this was the conclusion his aunt came to. Having a guardian tail him would only slow down his own movements, and be an unnecessary hassle for himself. This way, he could still keep on eye on Miyuki without anything getting in his way.

But even so, Tatsuya knew this would not bode well. He cursed. A living guardian was never relieved of his duty. To protect his charge until the day he died. It was tradition; it was law. Regardless of his aunt's words, he would be no different.

Tatsuya would be a true Guardian til the day he died.

* * *

><p>"Was it wise to remove his guardianship from Miyuki?" Miya's eyes narrowed at her sister. The two had retired to her room for the time being, before Maya returned to the main mansion.<p>

Relieving Tatsuya meant that the head of the Yotsuba clan had acknowledged him as a true magician, but it also meant the only thing chaining his power to the clan was now gone. There was nothing forcing his loyalty and obedience any longer, and with the clan's negative treatment of him in the past, Miya was almost certain Tatsuya would rebel against them.

He was her son, but he was also her greatest fear.

"I thought you wanted this? I was so sure you'd be happy with these turn of events." Maya quirked an eyebrow.

"I am. He is finally somebody I can praise without looking like a fool. This family has lost a servant, and gained a son, and I cannot be happier. However, that doesn't answer my question. You don't know if he'll stay."

"And why wouldn't he?"

"He hates us. He hates what we've done to him. How we've treated him. Tell me you wouldn't be mad if you were treated like a mere servant since your birth."

"Miya, even you know that's not true. His situation was reasonable. It was logical. He will understand why we've treated him so, and he will forgive us."

"Nobody can be certain. All you've done is increase the risk of his rebellion. You've opened his cage."

"Hardly. I've opened his cage, only to let him out into an even larger one. The illusion of freedom is the best way to keep one by your side. He won't look for another exit, because he thinks he is free."

"Do tell?"

"His family is Yotsuba. His blood is Yotsuba. Sooner or later, he too will define the clan itself. With his power at the helm, our clan would be invincible." Miya's eyes rose in shock. Had her sister just proclaimed what she thought she heard?

"You plan on making him head?" The notion was almost ludicrous. Not weeks ago, he was a servant of the clan, and now he would be its successor? There would be civil war within the clan.

"I never said that." Maya put her index finger on her lips in a 'shush' gesture. "But he is a candidate now, and I pity the opposition. I can't think of anyone who could stand against him."

"He's not stupid, you know? If he finds out he's being manipulated he'll lash out. Defend himself."

"Then it's your duty as his mother to keep him in the dark."

"It's my duty as his mother to push him to be the best he can be. Not just for the clan, but for himself."

"Right, because you've been doing such a good job so far." Her sister's words were like poison to her ears. Miya clenched her fist. How dare her sister accuse her of being a poor mother. But deep down, there was some shred of truth in those words. She treated her own son like a servant, because he was a servant. But...

"...You speak the truth. However, let me remind you that everything has changed. Since when did the Ichijous, or the Saegusas, or the Juumonjis ever have their heads be controlled like a puppet on a string? He's a magician now. Let him grow to lead this family if he wants to." _He at least deserves that much._

"And if he doesn't?"

"He will. _That_ will be my duty as his mother. He will learn to love this clan like it were his very own family – one that supports him, rather than oppresses him."

Maya said nothing and stared at her sister in thought. It felt as if an eternity had passed before the Queen of the Night opened her mouth to speak.

"Okay," she nodded her head. "We'll do it your way. But Miya, I'm forced to ask: is that boy even capable of love anymore?"

Memories of her son played through her mind. The way he would come to her for help, despite being well aware of his position. The way he fiddled with her own code so that he may prove himself useful as more than just an expendable shield. The way he looked at Miyuki with eyes full of care, not because of his duty as her guardian, but because of his duty as her brother.

Miya believed her son could still be saved.

"No less than you and I."

* * *

><p>Tatsuya sat in his room, thinking. What was his purpose. Why was he here? For most people, these questions wouldn't be answered even on their deathbeds. But for Tatsuya, it was a question that needed closure. He used to have one purpose in his life: protect Miyuki as her guardian. That was it. There were no other goals. All throughout guardian training, that one notion was drilled into his mind so much so that it defined him. He was a guardian, and that was his duty.<p>

But not anymore. Now that he was relieved of his duties as a guardian (and he knew for a fact he would never get reassigned), his entire world seemed to have been pulled under him. Everything seemed so dark, and bland.

Pong had gotten too boring, because magic came easily enough. It was far too easy to move around two paddles, so he decided to up the difficulty. 6 paddles, arranged in a cube, and 2 balls within. The addition of another degree of freedom allowed for rectilinear movement in each of the three axes.

The bouncing of the balls on the paddles sounded so rhythmic, so patterned that soon he began to lose track of what was happening. All he could see were lines upon lines of sequences, flying by at unimaginable speeds, and all he could hear was the _tap, tap, tap_, so melodic that he didn't even realize someone had walked into the room.

"Tatsuya-kun," the voice snapped him out of his daze, but the rhythm didn't stop. 6 paddles kept moving on their own, accelerating, and fortifying again and again. Tatsuya didn't even need to think to keep the game going. "That's very impressive."

He turned around, and smiled. In front of him stood his mother's guardian, Sakurai Honami: the only person who ever seemed to care for him. At least up until this point. He was glad she responded to his summon.

"Thank you. I've been practicing, but it seems to have gotten much easier." Using his magic in this mesmerizing, rhythmic fashion put him at ease, and allowed his mind to wander despite the intuitive need to focus on his magic. For some reason or another, focusing on his magic _was_ allowing his mind to roam. It was strange, and made less sense the more he thought about it.

"Miya-sama has gone to bed, and I would advise you to do the same. Rest is important, and neither your mother nor I would want you in poor health." Honami smiled at him. It was a warm smile that helped thaw his cold, lonely heart. It was the smile he wished were on his own mother's face when she looked at him.

"I will, but I'd like to finish some things first. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course. I'd be happy to assist."

"Do you know anything about Miyuki's next guardian?" Honami only bit her lip. Her hesitation only proved she did know something. It was most likely from her being Miya's guardian. The older woman would often confide in her. A guardian was someone who would die for you. A guardian was someone you could trust. "Your silence indicates you do."

"I don't know Maya-sama's decision for certain, but I have my speculations. It's most likely going to be my niece, Minami. She has recently started her own guardian training, and has shown great potential." As a second generation Sakura Series, Minami's augmentations were more focused, and probably superior. Honami wouldn't be surprised if her niece's skills eclipsed her own within a decade or two.

"Another member of the Sakura Series, huh? It's an honor, and a pleasure to have you at our sides." Tatsuya hesitated on the word 'our.' It was right, but it didn't feel right. He didn't feel like a member of the Yotsuba clan. He felt like he did before: a tool to be used and then forgotten.

"You're too kind, Tatsuya-kun," she chuckled. "I think that's the first compliment I've ever heard come from you."

"I think so too..." Before he was never in the situation where he _could_ compliment another, and this seemed like as good time as any. Honami had always taken care of him, and complimented him. He supposed it was time to repay the favor. "But Minami. How long will it take her to finish her training?"

Honami shook her head.

"Years. She cannot kill herself over and over again like you did. She will complete the course at the standard pace." He grumbled. It was true, his mother had pushed him to complete the training years earlier than he should have. In order to accomplish this task, he worked himself physically to death day after day. His body would repair itself as he slept, so he would never fall.

"In that case, Sakurai-san. I'd like to ask one more thing. Are you free tonight?" Honami sputtered and blushed at his words. He was just a kid, but hearing those words was still slightly embarrassing. A young child asking her if she was free tonight. Had those words come from anyone older, she would have mistaken their meaning.

"Ah...Yes. I have completed my duties for the day. What do you need?" She was surprised when he knelt on the floor and bowed, prostrating himself before her. "What? Shiba-san, you can't do this! Please, stand up now."

Tatsuya only shook his head.

"I request your aid, Sakurai-san."

"No, no, no. You are Yotsuba now, Shiba-san. You don't bow to me. In fact, it is I who should bow to you." Sakurai shifted her feet nervously. She had never been this nervous before in her entire life. A Yotsuba, one of her masters, was bowing to her as if she was superior. If another anyone else walked in on this scene, there would be hell to pay.

"I'm not doing this as Shiba Tatsuya the Yotsuba. I am doing this as Shiba Tatsuya the Guardian, and in my eyes, there is a guardian with more experience and skill standing in front of me. I am asking for your help, your guidance. From one tool to another, please teach me."

"You are a guardian no longer."

"As long as Miyuki breathes, I stay a guardian, regardless of what my aunt says."

"Why?" She couldn't understand what this boy was doing.

"There's always a skill to be taught, and a lesson to be learned. The Sakura Series have defensive capabilities that rival those of the Juumonji clan."

"That's not what I'm asking. Why do you continue to be her guardian?"

For a moment, he could not speak. He was _afraid_. His mouth was dry and his stomach churned. A shiver ran down his spine as his fingers twitched. These were sensations he had never felt before. They were ones he never _needed_ to feel before.

"I... I'm... scared. I need...purpose. Why am I here, if not for Miyuki's sake. That's all I grew up to know." Emotions deeply sealed began bubbling to the surface. A single tear drop fell from his eyes, and down his cheeks. Tatsuya wiped his face, confused at the droplet of water that wet his hands. He had never felt this pain before. It was as if he was missing something in himself. Not a sharp pain, but a deep ache.

Honami looked at the child in front of her, so powerful yet so broken. He had fallen far. She too, knelt down and lifted his head. She gave him one of her warm smiles before giving him a hug.

"You wish to learn?"

Tatsuya nodded.

"Then I will teach, but not tonight. The hour is late, and you must be going to bed."

Perhaps in time, he would find a new purpose, but for now, he fought simply to keep himself together.

* * *

><p><strong>(Okinawa, 2092)<strong>

After 3 hours on the plane, Miyuki found relief in planting her feet down on Okinawa. The gentle breeze caused the bottom of her dress lightly sway as she clutched onto her hat on her head and purse around her shoulder. She breathed in deeply, inhaling as much of the fresh air as she could before turning around to wait for the rest of her family. She did say rest of the family, because it was more than just her and her mother She had a brother now. An actual one.

Miya stepped out of the airport, and grabbed Miyuki's hand. The girl smiled at her mother, before trying to walk off. She didn't get very far as a small tug on her arm kept her from going anywhere.

"Kaa-san, what's going on? Why aren't we going?" She looked at her mother, who only stood her ground.

"We need to wait, dear. Your brother hasn't come out yet." Oh. Her brother. Right. Miyuki fidgeted while the pair stood outside and waited. Hundreds of people must have passed by, some even daring to stop and eye the pair from top to bottom. She knew her mother was pretty, and many of the clan members had complimented her in the same way. This was why she felt so strange feeling these eyes on her mother and herself. She hoped her brother would come soon. She was getting mad.

"Where is he? Why is he taking so long." She grumbled. She wanted to be out of this mess.

"He went to go get the luggage with Sakurai-san. Just be patient, Miyuki." Miya gently squeezed her daughter's hand, offering some reassurance. Being in public was definitely an intimidating feeling, especially with the Yotsuba's secluded mentality. This trip to Okinawa would be the furthest they ever traveled from the main mansion, but her cousin Kuroba Mitsugu insisted they come visit.

But both her daughter and her son needed to experience the outside world properly, so she agreed to the trip.

"Miyuki, look. There they are now." She pointed towards three figures, all carrying cases full of clothes, gifts, and other accessories needed for their trip.

Miyuki only crossed her arms over her chest and put on an annoyed look.

"It's about time. You took forever!"

Tatsuya, Honami, and Minami walked up to the pair.

"Sorry, it was unintentional. There was a slight mix up, and one of the other passengers thought our luggage was theirs. We managed to sort it out without difficulty." Tatsuya apologized.

"No worries. Come, let us go. My cousin is waiting." Miya began walking away with Honami right behind her. The three children stayed a step behind.

"Why did you go get the luggage with them?" She asked, still obviously angry at the fact that she was forced to wait outside for a good ten minutes or so. Wasn't her brother supposed to be a Yotsuba now? Wasn't he supposed to not associate himself with the servants?

"There's a lot of luggage. I thought perhaps Sakurai-san, and Minami-san would like some assistance. An extra hand never hurts."

"Well, if you've got an extra hand, then carry this." Miyuki removed the purse that was swung over her shoulder, and tossed it at Tatsuya. The boy merely caught it, and swung it over his own shoulder. Miyuki quickly turned away, and angrily marched to where her mother was.

Why hadn't he given it to Minami? Why did he hold it for himself? That was Minami's job, wasn't it? To watch over her, and make sure she was cared for. What was her brother thinking, carrying that load himself?

What was wrong with him?

* * *

><p>The grass, mountains, beaches, and buildings flew past their limo raced across the road. Miyuki sat on the right side of the back seat, with Minami in the middle and Tatsuya to her left. She simply couldn't handle how infuriating her brother could be. He never responded with anything more than compliance. He never got mad at her, or annoyed at her, or jealous of her. He never did anything, except do whatever she told him to do.<p>

It was unimaginably frustrating. He wasn't a servant. At least not anymore, but he always refused to act like everyone else. She just couldn't understand how someone as perfect as her brother be so flawed. He was brilliant. Always had the highest grades in the class. Always finished first in athletics. Always placed first in magical examinations. Her brother was the perfect Yotsuba, who acted nothing like the part.

"Miyuki, are you alright?" Tatsuya looked across the seat. She made a sour face.

"I'm fine. Leave me alone." She heard him shuffle back into his seat. She didn't know she continued to lash out at him. All he had ever done was help her, and take care of her. But it wasn't his duty. That wasn't what he was supposed to be doing, and perhaps that was why she felt so agitated.

"Miyuki, Tatsuya. We're here." The car slowly stopped in front of a large mansion, albeit smaller to the Yotsuba mansion by comparison, but relatively large nonetheless. Miya stepped out of the car, and Miyuki followed en suite. She grabbed her mother's hand and looked back one more time, only to see Tatsuya arguing with the butlers as to let him take some of the luggage inside.

* * *

><p><strong>(Kuroba Residence)<strong>

"Tatsuya-nii!" Tatsuya turned around at the sound of his name, but he reacted a second too slow. Something heavy smacked into his chest, and he fell to the ground.

"Ah, Fumiya-kun. So nice to see you too." The little boy crawled off and jumped up and down, ecstatic that his proclaimed idol had finally come to visit. Tatsuya's lips briefly curled into a light smile. It seemed as if the Kuroba family was still as active as ever, or at least, Fumiya was.

"Ahem." Somebody cleared his throat, and Tatsuya looked up. Kuroba Mitsugu stared right into his eyes. Dressed head to toe in a formal tuxedo, the man stood with an imposing stance.

"Ah, Kuroba-sama. My apologies." Tatsuya dusted himself off of the floor and bowed. Kuroba Mitsugu was one of the last people to accept his 'rebirth' into the clan. There were a few instances where he was accused a fake, but nothing came out of those accusations. He looked like a magician, and he cast spells like one. For all intents and purposes, he was a magician. Mitsugu just seemed to deny that fact.

This was why Tatsuya was overly surprised when the man patted him once on the back.

"It's good to see you, Tatsuya. I'm glad our Lost Son has returned." Lost Son. Tatsuya almost chuckled at those words. It was a nickname given to him by his aunt during the official 'declaration of his return.' A small banquet was held in the Yotsuba main mansion, and at the height of the festivity, his aunt had announced the cause of celebration.

"_I am glad to say that we have recovered someone that we all had forgotten. He is a lost son, coming back home. Welcome back, Shiba Tatsuya." _

He could still remember those gasps and dead, eerie silence that pervaded afterward, broken only by Maya and Miya's clapping. Soon, others had begun to join in, and while most did not agree, they continued to celebrate out of respect for the head. If his aunt had accepted him, then everyone else needed to as well.

Although over time, his continued excellence at magic had earned him a spot within the Yotsuba ranks. It was only a matter of time before Mitsugu acknowledged this as well. The man walked away, leaving Fumiya to fawn over Tatsuya's 'amazing skill that made his dad not mad at him anymore.'

Still, Tatsuya felt disappointed. There was now only one other who had yet to truly acknowledge him.

* * *

><p><strong>(Okinawa Military Base)<strong>  
><strong>(August 14, 2092)<strong>

Miyuki grumbled. She sat in the military base with her family, along with a few other families she had never who had come to visit. She looked once at her mother, who was resting, and once at her brother who was reading on his tablet. She was so tired of her brother's antics. Not once had she seen him act like how he was supposed to. All he did was take orders as if he were still a guardian. But he wasn't! He was a full fledged magician, who continued to act like some dumb servant boy.

She saw his power with her very own eyes. Days ago, when the torpedoes suddenly evaporated from her brother's power. Then after that, when he dominated military soldiers in one-on-one combat. Despite her lack of interest in the military base itself, the finesse with which he wielded his skills was captivating. It only served to confuse her further.

After the cruiser incident, one Captain Kazama Harunobu had visited the residence, asking for details on the averted accident. Her brother had answered the best he could without giving away too much information until her mother herself had to end the conversation. Her mother had told them they were to be discrete about their movements, and she obviously seemed discontent at having a military official snooping around so close to them. But did Tatsuya listen?

Nope. And what's even worse, all her mother did was tell her brother to be careful. She didn't yell at him. She didn't forbid him to go. Instead, all she did was tell him to be careful. Miyuki tried to wrap her head around what was happening. Ever since Tatsuya had 'returned,' their mother had acted differently around him. Maybe that was even the wrong word. She wasn't _acting_ at all. She had become a completely different person. Always trying to support him, and teach him. Those were things that _she_, Miyuki, had experienced, and she never went against mother like that. She never opposed her mother's orders, yet here he was doing just that.

It was weird. One day, she completely ignored Tatsuya and barely noted his existence, only speaking to him once in a while when it was necessary. Now she doted over him, almost as much as she doted over Miyuki. Not that Miyuki was mad that her mother had taken some time away from her to spend with her brother. In fact, she had hoped her mother would somehow cure Tatsuya's ailment, but over the course of the past few years, she saw little to no change.

Tatsuya had gotten stronger, yes, and so had she. The pair were often praised for their unparalleled capabilities, but even so, Tatsuya would remain humble and deny everything. The two would come home after a day of grueling practice to be with their mother, who would hug them and ask of their progress. Miyuki would talk about everything she had done, while Tatsuya would say nothing but 'it went well.' Either way, their mother would smile and commend them for a job well done.

Miyuki often wanted to ask him why he didn't tell mother about all of his accomplishments. After all, his progress in some areas exceeded her by leaps and bounds. When it came to combat magic, he was like no other, but he would never mention it to anyone. The only other person he would talk to is her mother's guardian, Sakurai Honami, and that only served to further confuse the young girl.

What was so special about Sakurai Honami? Sakurai Minami? Weren't they nothing more than tools for her to use? But Tatsuya treated Sakurai like another mother, and it was strange. It was strange, and Miyuki didn't like it.

But she had no more time to ponder, as both Tatsuya and Sakurai Honami stood up. They looked at each other for a brief moment.

"Those were..."

"Yeah, gunshots. Rapid fire, so it's probably an assault rifle, too."

"Okay, Miyuki. Mother, stay behind me." Miyuki watched as her brother placed himself in front of their family and the door, only for Honami to push him back.

"Nonsense, Tatsuya-sama. You will stay behind us." Both Honami and Minami stood in front, and prepared their magic. "Now Minami, don't worry. You've been through your training. Do not hesitate."

The young girl simply nodded.

The door quickly slammed open, and both members of the Sakura Series immediately threw their barriers up, but nothing appeared. A small platoon of men came running through afterwards.

"PFC Kinjou, reporting. We're here to escort you all to a secure shelter. Please follow me." One man stepped forward and led the group of people out of the room. Miyuki saw Tatsuya walk up and pull the man's arm."

"What's the status, soldier?" Tatsuya stood like Kazama, and asked his question. His voice was direct and held authority.

"Huh?" The man was evidently surprised.

"Tell me what's going on right now." Miyuki wasn't sure if her brother was serious about ordering this soldier around, or he was merely putting up a face, but it seemed to do the trick.

"Uh...Insurgents have entered the building. It's dangerous everywhere, so I suggest you stay close to us. We'll be moving soon."

"Not necessary. I will scout the area myself." Tatsuya moved to leave, but Honami had quickly grabbed his wrist.

"Don't be rash, Tatsuya-sama. There is no need for us to go." Tatsuya looked at their mother. Miyuki didn't know what exchanged occurred between the two, but her mothers orders were absolute.

"Honami. Let him go." Again. Again, Tatsuya goes and puts himself in danger like a guardian when he was supposed to be kept safe. What if he was hurt? What if he died? Miyuki couldn't possibly imagine what would happened if her brother never came back.

Nevertheless, her mothers orders were absolute, and Tatsuya took off.

"Hey, wait! Come back here!" Kinjou tried to stop him, but Tatsuya had already ran out of the door. "Damn it, whatever. Let's go."

Immediate gunfire from outside caused everyone to get down. The small group of soldiers, Kinjou included, pointed their weapons at the entrance. Someone ran through, and for a brief second, Miyuki thought she saw Lance Corporal Joe Higaki. Quick use of acceleration magic managed to save his life, as he suddenly blasted backwards before a stream of bullets hit the wall behind his original position.

"Shit, it's Joe. Rings on!" Suddenly, noise filled Miyuki's head. It wasn't 'sound' per se, but rather a background interference. It was almost as if it were static white noise turned up so loud it drowned out everything around it.

Cast-Jamming.

Miyuki turned to see Honami and Minami clutching their head, struggling to stay up. Her mother too, was clutching her chest. For her mother, who was incredibly sensitive to these psion waves and whose magic affected the brain itself, it was devastating painful; borderline destructive.

Why were these members of the JSDF using Antinite? And why were they fighting Corporal Higaki? She remembered the Lance Corporal from the base. Tatsuya had beat him one-on-one, despite the man's use of magic. She was incredibly proud of her brother after that battle. But there was no way he was an enemy. In those brief hours that the two met, she was almost sure Tatsuya and Corporal Higaki found some kind of acquaintance. Her instructors had always said that strongest bonds were often forged in battle, even a in practice match like that.

But if Lance Corporal Higaki wasn't the enemy then that means...

She broke out of her train of thought as she saw the Lance Corporal strafe into the open, and fire a round at one of his comrades. She supposed they weren't comrades anymore.

Upon the man's death, Miyuki felt the jamming field weaken. That uncontrollable static dimmed and faded into the back of her mind, and instantly, she knew she had one chance. One opportunity.

Calling upon her magic, she focused her magic on Kinjou.

**Outer-Systematic, Mental Interference Magic: Cocytus**

Her magic enveloped Kinjou and in an instant, the man stopped moving. He continued to breathe, and his heart continued to beat, but his mind was forever frozen solid. The stasis set up by her magic was indefinite. There was no recovery. There was no cure. There was only death, if it can even be called that.

Upon watching their ally freeze to death, the other members of the group turned their weapons onto Miyuki and her family. For a moment, she truly feared death, but that feeling passed in an instant. The only thing she could feel was warmth. The warm flow of blood as they ran out of the holes that riddled her body.

Her sight blackened, as if it were her aunt's night.

But no shining orbs of light that followed her aunt's magic ever came.

…

…

...

She was only unconscious for a moment. She felt magic flowing through her, over her, and into her. It was a feeling that was invasive, but not malicious. Ever piece of her self, her being was revealed and rebuilt. From near death, to perfect life, Shiba Miyuki blinked her eyes.

On top of her stood her brother.

"Onii-sama..." That was the first time she had uttered that combination of words. Yes, there he stood, basked in light like an angel descending from heaven. But as the lights faded from her eyes, she began to see clearly, and the look on her brother's face was not that of an angel.

But rather, that of a demon.

It was a mix of emotions. Hurt, sadness, despair, anger, relief. She didn't know what he was experiencing, only that they were hitting him like a sledgehammer as he shouldered the blows. He didn't speak. He didn't shiver. They only locked eyes for a brief second before he moved on. Miyuki sat up to see what was happening.

She watched as her brother move to Honami and activate his magic. That holy magic she had never witnessed before, but had experienced first hand. Information swirled around Honami, miraculously moving, infusing themselves within her. Only a moment passed before the magic died down, and with it the blinding light it emitted. Honami's eyes also fluttered open.

At the same time, Miyuki saw the miracle in person. Honami's body, which had been riddled with bullets and flowing with blood, was now perfectly healed as if nothing had ever happened. Every bullet, disappeared. Every hole, sealed. Ever droplet of blood, gone. Even the dress Honami wore was completely fixed.

_As if nothing had ever happened._

She looked once more at her brother, only to find him standing over Minami and doing the same thing. This time, the process happened even faster. He was getting faster. He was learning. He was evolving. Miyuki then looked down at herself and noticed the exact same thing: nothing.

It was as if he had changed reality. Rejected its flight through time, and turned it the way he wanted it to go. Miyuki stared at him in awe.

This was the pinnacle of the Yotsuba. A power so grand even reality yielded to his magic. This was her brother.

"Tatsuya." That was the sound of her mother's voice. Miyuki looked up once more, and saw that everyone had been reborn. "Tatsuya, I need you to calm down."

The boy shook his head.

"I can't, mother. I can't. They need to pay," he spoke through gritted teeth. Miyuki could hear the rage all the way from where she was.

"Tatsuya, I will not let you enter harms way. You know why I can't allow you to do this." She could tel her mother restrained herself. There were others around, and despite the miracle he just pulled, there was no need to put more attention onto them by announcing their relation to the Yotsuba.

"...You're right. It was my fault they got here anyways. Had I been here when this happened, none of you would have had to suffer." His voice never lost its seething rage.

"We're fine. Look at us, we're fine." Her mother gestured towards the rest of them, who could now stand without worry.

"No. You weren't before. I read it. I saw it. I know it. The amount of pain each and every one of you felt, flying across my very eyes. So much suffering that your own brains cut off the signal, because it knew you were on the brink of death. You weren't fine. That is a lie. They need to be brought to justice." How did he know? She couldn't understand how her brother knew all of those facts. He read it? What did that mean?

"Why do you need justice?"

"Because they hurt you! All of you!"

"That's not enough of a reason."

"Of course it is! It's my duty as –,"

"That duty has long been relieved." Her mother stared at her brother. "Now tell me, why do you want revenge."

"..." He only whispered. She asked him to speak louder, so he did. "Because I failed... Not as a guardian, but as a brother! A son! I had the power to protect this family and I didn't!"

Her brother's voice was rising.

"I could have kept you away from all this pain, but I didn't! It was _my_ fault these people came, and it's _my_ fault you got hurt. That you could have _died_. I don't want justice! I want revenge! I want redemption!" His voice reverberated through the room with a slow fading echo. He was furious. Miyuki was scared to see her brother this way. He was never angry. Never mad. Sometimes, she even wondered if he was capable of feeling anger.

Yet there he stood, his fists shaking and his face red with blood. He breathed with heavy breaths, and his eyes bore holes into the ground.

Miyuki watched as her mother kneel down, and grab his hands, clasping the two together.

"Reign in your anger. Control it. Do not let it control you. Take all of that fury and rage, and wield it like a weapon, for it is the most powerful weapon of all." Tatsuya's hands stopped shaking, and the blood left his face. His breathing slowed until it was long deep breaths like usual. "Now are you still angry?"

He nodded.

"Good. Then you may go, and stay safe."

Tatsuya bowed once, and turned to exit. However, before he left, he spoke to Honami.

"Under no circumstances are you to come after me. You know fully well that I can defend myself." Honami only bowed in agreement before returning to Miya's side.

In an instant, with magic pushing his every step, he flashed out of the room. Miyuki barely heard the sigh of relief and the whispers.

"I'm glad. So he can feel, after all." However, nobody else seemed to have heard her.

"Miya-sama. Was it wise to tell him such a thing?" This time, Honami spoke.

"...After the great war, there existed a single lone nation that broke off from China. Its name was Dahan. They numbered over 4000 strong, and quickly established itself as a military power. However, in one night. In one lone night, under only the light of the moon, that nation collapsed.

What happened, you may ask. In their foolish quest for power, these people kidnapped one person. A daughter. Now this man loved his daughter very much, so much so that he fought tooth and nail to get her back. He, along with around 30 of his men. Volunteers. Friends, and family. With 30 people, he took down every. Last. One. In one night, 4000 slain for 30.

Anger fueled his strength. Anger towards his enemies, and anger towards himself. He lead thirty of his own to die, all for the sake of his family. It was not only his strength, but his courageous sacrifice that forever immortalized his name in history."

"What was his name?" That was Lance Corporal Higaki speaking.

"Yotsuba Genzou. Former head of the Yotsuba clan."

"The Reaper of Dahan..."

"And Tatsuya-sama? You sent him against an army."

"I reckon he will be fine. Yotsuba Genzou had 30 by his side, but I am certain that Tatsuya alone will be more than enough."

* * *

><p>"<em>Although we are weapons, we are not slaves. And I refuse to be livestock. We, ourselves, are the masters of the laboratory that produced us. " -Yotsuba Genzou, 2062<em>

* * *

><p>Tatsuya broke out of the base, encased head to toe in full black armor. He requisitioned it from Captain Kazama, who agreed to take him into battle alongside the other soldiers as a Special Lieutenant. This might have been his first live combat scenario, but he was prepared. His guardian training would do him well, and his anger, now a cold, solid block within his heart, drove him to oust these intruders.<p>

The Onna Airborne, the troop Kazama led and Tatsuya accompanied, tore its way to the beach. At first they played it safe. They took cover behind rocks. They darted back and forth, slowly inching their way up, but Tatsuya was sick of it. They were moving too slow, so he opted to do what no soldier should ever do.

He ran out of cover, and charged straight into his enemies.

There were a few shouts, and worried cries, but all were silenced by the manner in which he slew his enemies. Each and every intruder that crossed his sight simply...vanished. Disappeared. Disintegrating into dust that blew away in the wind. They didn't cry out in pain. They didn't pray for forgiveness, for Tatsuya would never forgive. The only thing they could do once his eyes met theirs, was disappear.

The skirmish was over barely after it began.

"Everyone. I understand this is an unreasonable request, but I ask each and every one of you to charge down towards the beachhead alongside me."

There were a few murmurs of disagreement. Some were confused. Others waited to see what their friends would say.

There was one soldier who was injured, clutching his leg in pain. Tatsuya rose his weapon up and despite the shouts for him to stop, fired anyways. Information flooded his brain, and pain seized his body but it never even dented the chilled fury in his heart. In an instant, the man was standing as if his leg was never damaged.

"A miracle...", "No way...", "Impossible..."

"Under my watch, I give you my word that none of you will die today."

There was a resounding cheer from the troops, and the Onna Airborne charged to the beaches, guns blazing in a wreath of glory with an unholy angel at their helm. And Tatsuya's promise held true.

None of the airborne died that day.

* * *

><p>"Captain Kazama, sir. We've got a problem." A soldier from the headquarters saluted the captain, and handed the man a stack of papers. The first page was a satellite image of a few naval ships. Two cruisers, and four destroyers. "The enemy has detached a small portion of their fleet. It's coming from Aguni, roughly 20 minutes away."<p>

"Damn! That's impossible! How'd we miss them?"

"Communications was down throughout the invasion. We've only just reestablished contact with HQ." The soldier explained. "Your orders?"

"This is bad. 20 minutes isn't nearly enough time for us to intercept them. Evacuate the coast, now!" The soldier ran off to make a call, and moments later, an alarm rang out through the entire coastal city.

"Onna! On me! There's a small fleet of ships 20 minutes away. We need to evacuate every man, woman, and child on the coast within that time. Drop whatever you're doing, and get to it." Kazama shouted orders to the troop. "Go! Go! Go!"

Yet Tatsuya remained where he was.

"Special Lieutenant, did you hear what I said? We've got to leave. Now." Kazama tried pulling on the boy's arm, but Tatsuya didn't budge. "What are you doing?"

"...I'm not leaving. Continue the evacuations, but it honestly won't be necessary." Tatsuya only stared at the ocean in the direction of the ships. Aguni, right? He rose an arm and lined up his shot.

"What? You're kidding me. There's a small fleet of ships on its way right here. It's guns are fully loaded, and capable of bombing this coast to nothing. They've got hundreds more men, waiting to storm these beaches. It's best if we evacuate, and then return with more troops after they've secured the beachhead."

"Once again, Captain. That won't be necessary. I will destroy the ships before they even reach the coast." Tatsuya's words were eerily cold. For him to annihilate an entire fleet from that far away? Their guns would be in range far before any person or even the ship could be seen. "I only need that gun you showed me a while back.

The armament device with extended range sequences. It was devised as a high-class caliber sniper. What a magician intended to do with a sniper, he did not know, but if one thing was certain it was Tatsuya Shiba was full of tricks.

"Okay." Kazama pulled out his communications device and stepped to the side. He briefly talked for a moment before returning. "It's done. Sanada, get the coordinates onto the Special Lieutenant's visor."

"You know their guns will be in range before you can even do anything with that weapon, right?"

"I know." Tatsuya sat down on the sand, and began to focus.

"_A defensive magician works in three separate modes. Negating the attack, countering the attack, or blocking the attack. Depending on the situation you are in, you must choose whatever method of defense you deem the most effective. This applies for both magical attacks, and physical ones._

"_Negating an attack should often be the first thing you think of. Is there a way I can stop the attack from happening? This is the most effective way to stop an attack, because it doesn't even allow the attack to occur. The other two become more or less, damage control. You need to look for ways to negate any damage from occurring._

"_The second possibility if negation is not probable or fails, is to counter the attack. Can I render the attack useless? Use a skill that will do the exact opposite of what your enemy intended, or negate the effects of the attack. This applies more to magic, but it is still relevant. If I rewrite phenomena to do one thing, you can rewrite an exact counter that will render my rewriting useless. If I create a wave of water to come crashing on top of you, you can freeze that water to keep it from doing any damage. This is the essence of countering the attack. _

"_The final option is for you to block the attack. In a situation where the attack has already occurred, sometimes the best option is for you to put up a barrier between the attack, and its target. Now whether that barrier be a barrier of magic, or yourself, blocking an attack becomes the last option. It by no means is an inferior option, but it leaves no room for error." _

Those were Honami's first words during his lessons in defensive magic. The Sakura Series were truly masters in that art. He ran the situation in his head.

Negate the attack. Cause the ships to not be able to fire on the coastline. Possible? Yes. Probable? No. They would be well in range, before his magic could effectively reach their ships.

Counter the attack. Hundreds of shells flying at him from every angle. To counter the attack meant stopping the shells from ever reaching their destination. Creating a field around the coastline, and using a combination of acceleration magic and weight-type magic to drop the shells into the ocean was a possibility. However, the scale of the field would require far too much magic to be of any use. He wasn't prepared to die yet, much less from magical exhaustion.

He opted to create a barrier instead. Creating a shield in front of you was a lot easier than creating a field in front of you, outstretched for hundreds of meters. He cracked his knuckles. The magic he had been working on with Honami was new. It was untested, unfinished, and still in its prototyping stages. Nothing like a live test to see if it works...

_Tatsuya read every line in her activation sequence and committed it to memory. The long lines of data ingrained itself into his brain as she dropped her magic, the shield dispersing. That was the power of the Sakura Series. He had agreed not to use Decomposition, but any type of systematic magic he threw was utterly useless against the woman. That shield of hers seemed unbreakable. It didn't refresh itself like the Juumonji's Phalanx, but it did provide a dense network of reinforced Eidos that shielded Honami from any attacks. _

_It was a sequence belonging to the Sakura Series, and it was now a sequence that belonged to him._

_He recalled that very same sequence from memory, and allowed the psions to flow and change, forming a shield identical to Honamis. It's safe to say the woman was surprised. _

"_What in the world...?" _

"_Uh...I've seen you use that same sequence so many times it just stuck in my head. I wondered what would happen if I tried calling on it, and voila. This thing appeared." Tatsuya readied himself in a defensive stance. "Use an attack on me." _

"_Are you sure?" Tatsuya only nodded. "Okay then..."_

_First, convergence-type magic to compress air into a tiny little ball. Then, acceleration magic to launch it at the target. **Air Bullet.** _

_The ball of air smashed into Tatsuya, shattering his shield and creating a small shock wave, causing him to fly backwards into the wall. It threw dirt and rubble into the air. Luckily, the walls of the Yotsuba training grounds were resilient and fortified, as Tatsuya slammed into them with moderate force. _

"_That...didn't work." Honami rushed over to help the boy up, but he dusted himself off as if it were nothing. She did, however, insist that their training end for that day. "Well, it did seem rather clunky. The code felt so awkward to use my brain just couldn't seem to render it properly. Let me show you what I can come up with tomorrow." _

_And show he did._

_The next day, Tatsuya held a CAD in his hand. It was a tiny ring that would fit on his ring finger. _

"_Ok. Try it again." Tatsuya slipped the ring onto his finger, and moved into a defensive stance. Once again, Honami rewrote the air around her, and fired another bullet of air at the child._

_This time, he remained standing._

He exhaled as he thumbed the ring on his finger. Psions fluttered around him like moths to candlelight.

"They'll be here momentarily. You sure you're okay, Shiba?" Kazama still seemed worried.

"Are you sure you're fine with standing here? If you didn't believe I could do it, why aren't you evacuated like the others?"

"Because there is no battlefield without the danger of death. Life and death. That is a choice decided only by the soldier." Not moments after he finished those words, the first few shots rang out from the ships in the distance. Like thunder on a cloudy day, a small plume of smoke rose from its cannons as tiny specs soared into the sky, flying closer and closer.

"Then I'm sorry to have to disappoint you, Captain, but death is not an option today." Tatsuya invoked his magic.

There was a lot of ground to cover, so it took him some time to set up. It was smart for him to have chosen a barrier. If he chose to stop it with a field, not only would it drain his power every second, he had to rewrite a lot more space. No, a barrier would be far more efficient.

Particles looking like glowing dust rose from the ground, and into the sky. Light blue hexagons formed all around the base, creating a tessellation of pieces. Almost like a honeycomb. Each piece moved to join with another, fitting together like perfect pieces on a jigsaw puzzle. One by one, the barriers made contact, and simply vanished.

No, not vanished. They merely appeared transparent, but if one were to look at a sky through this barrier, one would wonder why the sky seemed to look like it was made of perfect hexagons, joining together side by side.

The connections reached well past the coast line, and behind the base, encapsulating the entire military base under Tatsuya's iron curtain.

**Reinforcement Defensive-type Magic: Iron Testudo [1].**

The first shells crashed onto the barrier, exploding in a blast of flame. For a brief moment, the panels constructing the barrier seemed to glow and become visible before returning to their transparent image. An invisible barrier that you could tell was present.

More shells rained from the sky, exploding as it made impact with the barrier again and again. Panels flashing for a fraction of a second before disappearing. Soon, the ships unleashed their full salvos as the entire shield was wreathed in fire and smoke, but not a single shell broke through. Their siege could not penetrate the shield. The ground shook, but as long as Tatsuya kept focus, his barrier would stand.

Tatsuya even managed a smirk. His technique worked perfectly. And what was even better, was that these ships were now within range for their final execution. He brought up the sniper and aimed down its sights, targeting the central ship. It was perfect. The coordinates were on his visor, and all conditions were perfect.

He fired.

The bullet soared through the sky, passing through a single hole he made in the barrier, and traveled towards its destination. Tatsuya tracked it with his Elemental Sight, keeping it and the information within in his mind every moment it moved. It lodged itself into the hull of the central destroyer, and Tatsuya set his magic to work.

Magic obeys the laws of the universe. That is, phenomena rewriting was just that. A phenomena. The natural order of the world can be increased and decreased via inputting energy, but the laws that govern the universe still held true. Tatsuya remembered reading about one man in his science books. Over a century ago, there lived a man who proclaimed that energy and mass were one and the same. His theories wouldn't be proven 'til may years after his death, but they still remained true. Tatsuya thanked Albert Einstein for his work.

The bullet decomposed. From its structure, it returned to compounds. From compounds into elements. From elements into subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. From subatomic particles into elementary particles: fermions, bosons, pushions, and psions. And from there, the elementary particles would decompose into nothing but pure energy.

The moment Tatsuya's decomposition activated, the world lit with fire. He mentally reminded himself to thank Sakurai Honami for the Sakura Series' proclivity for fire-resistant magic.

A ball of light shot out from the sea, engulfing the entire fleet in torrents of flame. The skies sparked with electricity, as super-heated plasma was thrown into the air. Lightning crackled around the skies, as the world around was ionized in an instant. The ships vaporized, becoming nothing more than ash and dust as the molten hot flames and plasma consumed all. The initial blast of flame and heat bounced harmlessly off of Tatsuya's shield, but the following shockwave was more than enough to shatter the defense.

Tatsuya's shield may have dropped as he was thrown backwards, but it had served its purpose well. He could only stare at his magic that consumed his enemy with the force of an atomic bomb. No, he lied. An atomic bomb wouldn't even explode with that much pure mass-energy conversion. This was the perfect form of destruction.

A flame so strong it melted the anger in his heart.

* * *

><p>" <em>'Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." - Julius Robert Oppenheimer, 1945.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>(Kuroba Mansion)<strong>

Miya sat on her bed, contemplating her relationship with her son. He was everything that she had ever wanted. Strong, loyal, and capable. He was the perfect magician, artificial or not. Then how did she screw up? Where did she screw up? She ransacked her brain to try and figure out the answers.

She had tried her best to repair the disconnect between them after the operation. She had found her son, and he had somehow wormed his way back into her heart. She reckoned there was always a small place there, waiting for her son to come home. She gripped the sheets. What if the operation had failed? What if he never recovered those medical logs, and upgraded her code? The operation would have failed. He wouldn't have anything but the simplest, most basic sequences to use. He would have stayed lost.

She couldn't bear to think of the pain, the guilt, knowing full well that it would have been _her_ who had failed her son. That little place in her heart would remain empty, gathering dust, forever eating away at her. And him? He would never be anything more than a tool to be used by her daughter, and her sister.

She took a deep breath.

That type of hypothetical thinking was unnecessary. The past was already past, and her operation had succeeded. Instead of worrying what would have happened, she needed to focus on what was happening at that present moment. For the past few years since his operation, she had been doing her best to be the proper mother she should be. She watched over him, fed him, and kept him healthy. But despite her attempts at repairing this relationship, she always feared that too much damage had already been done. The first half of his life was filled with cold stares and ignorant words. In those beginning years when he needed her most, she had abandoned him. She had deemed him unworthy of her love and affection, and threw him to the status of a servant. That type of treatment would have created much hate.

And at first, she wasn't even sure if he was capable of hate. The doctor did say powerful stimuli could reawaken suppressed emotions. There was always that dull sense of fear that her own son hated her, but his stoic, nigh emotionless facade had kept that worry in the back of her mind. But now? Ever since his outburst of rage, that fear had resurfaced. Would this rage be the gateway to another, more deeply rooted anger? She didn't know. What she did know was that he was most definitely capable of hate.

But that also meant he was capable of love. Perhaps those years had reached his broken self, and perhaps her words were indeed, effective. She knew not of his answer, but she was determined to find out. She prepared herself as the door to her room creaked open.

"...Tatsuya," Miya called her son as he walked into her room. "Do you...hate me?"

Tatsuya only stared at his mother, for he could not answer.

"Do you hate what I've done to you? How I've treated you?" Her voice didn't crack, nor did it reveal any of her emotions. What she wanted was an answer. She would understand if he said yes.

But he didn't.

"No. I don't. Not at all." Tatsuya began to explain. "Everything you did made me strong. Guardian training. The operation. Those words at the base. Despite your words, you were the one who crafted me into what I am now. You have given me nothing that I wanted, but everything that I needed, and for that, you have my thanks.

"And your actions? They were understandable. That means that can be forgiven." Tatsuya bowed.

"...And how long? ...How long would that take?" Her voice was soft, almost like a whisper. "How long will it take for you to forgive my failures?"

"I already have."

And for the first time in years, Shiba Miya cried.

* * *

><p>(Shiba Residence, Tokyo 2095)<p>

She looked at him. Her savior. Her hero. Her brother. He looks so peaceful while sleeping, you wouldn't even think he was a strategic-class magician. The power he wielded knew no bounds, and his intelligence was on par with even the greatest minds of the era. He was a leader, and a worker. Both a master and a servant. And this man, this perfect being, was her brother.

She wondered how she ever doubted his legitimacy as a Yotsuba – not blood, but character. Her face reddened in embarrassment. To think that she knew how a Yotsuba should act was foolish. No, the man in front of her defined how a Yotsuba should act. Anything else was unsatisfactory.

He, in all his power, had saved her. But not only her. Their mother, Sakurai, and Minami as well. She knew that back on that beach, Sakurai Honami was willing to risk her life to save Tatsuya. Had he not directly ordered her not to advance, she might not be here today.

Minami had returned to the main house to continue her training. She had already completed the guardian course, but under the tutelage of her aunt, Minami would surely become one of the greatest masters of the defensive arts; a worthy title for a member of the Sakura Series.

And her mother. How those eyes that had seen such turmoil and hate finally turn serene and graceful, Miyuki did not know, but what she did know was that Tatsuya was the reason for their mother's change. Whatever he had done or said, it put their mother at ease. She was relaxed. Carefree. There were often times when she would smile, even if there was nothing to smile about. When prompted, she would only respond with a simple answer.

_'Because my children are out there.'_

Miyuki did feel slightly sad, though. Her mother and Honami had opted to stay within the mansion. Yes, she included Honami, because before she and her brother left for high school, their mother had asked if Honami wanted to leave as well. Naturally, the guardian was surprised, but had opted to stay. It seemed as if she couldn't abandon her duties, after all. However, she somehow seemed even optimistic than before, if that was even possible. She no longer walked around the mansion like she had a weight on her shoulders. It appeared as if the offer of choice was something she had been wanting for a long time.

And while alive and relatively healthy, Miya was physically getting weaker. Strenuous exercise was no longer an possibility, but at least she retained the freedom to walk around as she pleased. With Honami at her side, Dr. Kitayama assured the family that she would live a long life.

Miyuki looked up at the simple clock hanging on Tatsuya's bedroom wall. It was bland, overly basic, and had no true aesthetic appeal outside its ergonomic design. However, it was efficient and accurate, down the seconds one after the other. Just like her brother.

She gasped in surprise as she suddenly noticed the time. She opened his curtains to let a beam of sunlight hit him in the face. He stirred awake.

"Ah, I've been graced with the presence of an angel." He was referring to her silhouette, glowing from the sunlight behind her. His words made her blush again. How could her brother, someone who was usually so stoic, say words like that? She only leaned in to kiss his forehead before offering him a hand.

"Come on, Onii-sama." Those words came easy to her. "It's time for school."

* * *

><p>Magic Index, 2092 ed. Volume: 'F'<p>

Full Name: Iron Testudo [1]

Translation: Iron Tortoise

Status: Under Development

Rank: B

Developer: Shiba Tatsuya

Explanation: The technique is based off of the ancient roman defensive formation called the Testudo, latin for tortoise. Legionnaires would form together, and lock shields, creating a cover that blocked the unit from every side. This tactic, while very slow moving, was impervious to conventional ranged missiles such as arrows, bolts, javelins, and spears.

Iron Testudo uses Converging Systematic Reinforcement Defensive-type magic to generate defensive barrier cells. These cells can be shaped in whichever way the magician wants, although generally, cells that form regular polyhedrons distribute load much better than irregular cells. A coarser, or finer mesh can be obtained by generating larger or smaller pieces respectively. This will affect the overall rigidity of the shield, however smaller pieces and a finer mesh requires more magic than a coarser mesh.

Reinforcement magic then locks these barrier cells into place, creating the shape of a shell around the user. The current code is highly resistant to heat-based attacks, and can be distributed across a wide range. Maximum range: 1 km radius.

First recorded use: Aug 14, 2092, Okinawa.

* * *

><p><strong>Woo hoo! Chapter 2! I'm on a roll, and I don't mean a bread roll. This chapter was a complete blur to me as I was writing, but I think it turned out well. A little longer than I had expected (oops), but I hope you won't mind too much.<strong>

**Don't expect to get quick updates with a lot of work this quickly. I just happened to have free time, and also I was pumped for this story, so I kind of just went with it. If you think this is too long (or somehow too short), or even the right size, let me know. I'll probably be pretty inconsistent when it comes to chapter length. If I think it blends well with each other, then I'll keep it together. If I think there's a spot that would be a great break, I'll split it into separate chapters. I hope this won't be too big of a problem.**

**And yes, I did create a move of my own, and yes, I will be creating more. I only hope that my explanation made enough sense for you to think it plausible, and if it's plausible, then Tatsuya Shiba can do it.**

**Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, or criticisms, please leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3: Red Handed

**How's it going everybody. I hope this new year has been treating you all well.**  
><strong>Here's the next chapter. My hype as died down a little, and it's getting harder to write. Hopefully, I can keep this up.<strong>

**Let me amend what I said last time about this being a Tatsuya x Mayumi fic. It might be, or it might not be. The more I think about it, the more interesting other characters are as well. I'll let the Tatsuya decide in the future. A long time in the future...**

**Things I own:**  
><strong>1. My computer<strong>  
><strong>2. Noobs<strong>

**I do not own anything not on that list. Double negatives all day, every day.**

* * *

><p><strong>(First High, Examination Room)<strong>

First High School was renown for its ability to produce large numbers of high-class magicians. Hundreds upon thousands of families flock to Tokyo in hopes that their children are worthy enough to be granted the education of a lifetime. In order to get into Magic University, one must have a diploma from a Magic High School, be a registered user in the Magical Index, or contributed enough to the magical community.

Shiba Tatsuya chuckled as he waited in line. He was already 2 out of 3.

During the aftermath of Okinawa, Captain – now Major – Kazama had sworn the entire magical division of the Onna Airborne into secrecy before it was disbanded months later. Now reborn as the part of the 101 Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion, only a select few know of the truth of what happened that day.

The Captain had created an alias for him: a magician named Ooguro Ryuuya who was capable of strategic-class magic. With his ability to convert matter into pure energy, Ryuuya annihilated a small fleet off of the coast of Okinawa, while simultaneously shielding the military base from harm. His exploits were legendary in the ranks of the military.

However, more curious was the defensive magic used to protect the base. Creating individual barrier cells, and then reinforcing them together as if it were one unit. A reinforcement defensive-type barrier was unheard of, and easily drew the attention of military officials.

When asked the identity of the developer of the technique, dubbed 'Iron Testudo,' Captain Kazama gave them a random name. Shiba Tatsuya. Who was Shiba Tatsuya?

The man in person chuckled to himself as he recalled his first meeting with the officials.

"_This is Shiba Tatsuya?" One of the men whose breast was lined with medals and decorations pointed in Tatsuya's direction. "He's a kid...Captain is this some sort of joke?"_

"_I assure you not, sir. This child was the first one to develop the skill. He gave it to Special Lieutenant Ryuuya to use." _

"_Really now. Okay, Shiba. Explain to me this barrier of yours..."_

It was safe to say that Kazama's diversion held, and the military was completely baffled at Tatsuya's intellect.

They even tried recruiting him into the military's research and development division, but his mother had stepped in before anything drastic could occur. The JSDF agreed to ask again once Tatsuya had graduated from University years from now.

That was how he had gotten into the Magic Index, and that was also the precise reason why he was going to fail his entrance exam right now.

"Shiba Tatsuya, please step forward."

Tatsuya got up upon hearing his name, and weaved through the crowd. Hundreds of students were crowding around those dozen machines, earnestly waiting for their chance to prove their strength. Parents cheered on their children while upperclassmen stood to see who would be the top freshman in this upcoming semester.

"Good luck, Onii-sama." Miyuki smiled as she passed him before joining with the admiring crowd. Her beauty and incredible performance dazzled both audience and instructor alike. It was easy to see jealousy on some faces, and awe in others. One of the upperclassmen even bet money that she would place first.

One of the instructors pointed him to his examination machine. Tatsuya stood in front of the little car and the track, CAD in hand. Accelerate the vehicle from point A to B, and stop. That was the test. Simple, but effective.

"You may begin." Tatsuya grinned before raising his hand. He focused on the car, and invoked his magic.

* * *

><p><strong>(First High School)<strong>

"How did this happen?" Miyuki pouted as she just met her brother. They had each left to get the results of their examinations and subsequently their uniforms, but he did not look at he had appeared. That giant empty spot on his shoulders and chest made her downright furious. "Onii-sama, why are you a reserve?"

Her brother only smirked.

"Calm down, Miyuki. This year's freshman representative shouldn't get so flustered over something as trivial as this."

"Trivial?" She hollered. "How can you say this is trivial? You should be the one making the speech. Not me!"

"Now let's not draw too much attention to ourselves. My test scores were horrible. Let me show you." He pulled out his tablet and logged into his student database. There was his exam score, the rankings in each one, and his overall ranking. "Out of all of the accepted applicants, I'm in the bottom 10% for both magic power, and magic theory. How can you say I deserve to wear that flower when my scores are this bad?"

Miyuki looked over the scores. Then again, and then again. No way. There's no way. It was impossible. How had her brother performed so poorly? It just wasn't possible. He was the greatest magician in the Yotsuba family. Next to their aunt, Tatsuya was the pinnacle of magical power. His activation speeds broke records, and he could cast almost any magic without the use of a CAD. How did her brother fail so hard?

"Hey, Miyuki. Don't look so down." She felt him pat her head, and give her a hug. "Do you trust me?"

Of course she did. But instead of saying anything, she just nodded her head. There was no way those results accurately depicted her brother's magical talents. That data must have been fake... She only hoped her brother knew what he was doing.

She scratched that thought out of her mind. What was she thinking? Of course he knew what he was doing.

...

Tatsuya watched as his sister walked away with a dozen eyes on her. She had caused a small little commotion, but it wasn't overly serious. Her little outburst turned a few eyes towards the siblings, but they didn't linger. At least not on both of them, anyways.

She was the talk of the town. Highest score in both the practical exam, and the written exam. Freshman representative. Beauty and power all mixed into one. It was perfection.

He looked down at his tablet, cringing at the scores on the screen. It was true. His scores were absolutely terrible. Bottom 10% of the applicants. Had he not decide to answer one of his written questions correctly, he might have failed the entrance examinations for First High completely. That was what he hated. Not placing low, or scoring poorly, but he despised the look of fear on his sister's face when she saw his scores. He had cut it a little too close.

Cheating his way out of the written exam was easy. He deduced answering 3 correctly, and everything else incorrectly would barely get him enough points to pass. After all, these questions were at some of the highest levels of magical engineering. Proving obscure theorems proven only a few years ago. If he completed every problem, he feared it would draw too much attention. It's better to look like any regular student, and no regular student could score anything above say a 70.

He mentally chuckled at the last question on the exam. It was an in depth explanation behind the structure, processes, and applications of his very own Loop Cast System. Most of the world knew about Taurus Silver's revolutionary Loop Cast System that increased the speed of the activation sequences by up to twenty percent, but only a handful of magical engineers knew exactly how it worked. He made sure to get that question completely wrong.

All in all, barely passing the written exam was relatively simple compared to tweaking his practical score. The practical exams used a machine that would calculate the time difference between initiating an activation sequence by the CAD, and the acceleration of the car. The gap of time between initiating a sequence and the manifestation of its effects is known as the Free After Execution (FAE) Theory. Highly classified, Tatsuya was only able to do any research on this through his connections in the Yotsuba.

Nobody could take advantage of that tiny time gap through human means. It was simply impossible. That was why this examination was nigh flawless. It was impossible to take advantage of the magic after it had been activated. The speed of your cast was the speed of your cast. There was nothing else to it.

Nigh flawless.

However, Tatsuya had an advantage over everybody else, and that was his conscious Magical Calculation Area. He could consciously control any magic to its fullest extent. Constructing the magic sequences in his mind, it was a simple matter to rewrite any phenomena without the use of a CAD.

"_You may begin."_

_The first thing he did was construct the proper accelerating magic sequence in his mind. It wasn't long, and he already had the code in mind before he even stepped up to the machine. _

_Next was to activate the magic in his CAD. Tweaking that sequence very slightly was not difficult. As everyone was assigned an individual CAD long before the exam, Tatsuya found more than enough time to change a few lines of code. It was a relatively simple activation sequence, anyways._

Magic flowed and the activation sequence appeared. Completely useless. All it did was show that a magic sequence had been activated, and the computer began the timer. He only hoped that nobody else noticed the slight difference in activation sequence, but sure enough, nobody said a word. Everyone was too focused on staring at the car to even think about looking at the code.

_The he counted. 750 ms was what he was aiming for. From the times he saw, somewhere around 750 ms should get him in, but keep him as a Course 2 student. All it took was some accurate timing._

_Less than a second after his bogus activation sequence initiated from the CAD, Tatsuya released the magic sequence in his mind. The car began to advance as he readied himself, quickly constructing the proper decelerating sequence. Counting once more, he timed his fake activation sequence and magic sequence properly and stopped the vehicle. _

_He looked at the panel, hoping he was accurate. 776 ms. Close enough._

Hey, if it got him into school, it was good enough. But why did he purposely want to be placed in the lowest section? Because of the one thing that differentiated Course 1 from Course 2: teachers. He didn't want teachers. He didn't want lectures. Chances are, they would have been able to teach him nothing. The Ten Master Clans generally had tutors that were more than adequate to teach at a high-school level. Usually, these children had practical examinations that were were incredibly good, but their magic theory was usually lacking. The Ten Master Clans were based off of magical strength, after all. Smart magicians weren't necessarily strong magicians.

Tatsuya supposed he was lucky he was both.

Instead of sitting in class, he opted to take all of the free time designated to Course 2 students towards developing his own projects. New magics, new CAD software, proving new theorems. With a teacher standing over him at all times, such matters would be impossible. That was why he so desperately tried to score within the lower 100 students. Being a reserve gave him the freedom he needed to expand his own interests.

And expand he did.

Tatsuya sat down on one of the courtyard benches and pulled out his terminal, briefly scanning his surroundings before deeming it secluded enough to begin his work. Everything that he wanted to do was far too advanced for a standard Course 2 student. If he walked around flaunting his intellect, people would notice, and people would question. Being under scrutiny was exactly opposite of what a Yotsuba would do. He wasn't prepared to get caught so easily.

He read line after line, looking for the error in his code. The theory was sound, but the sequence simply didn't work. Replicating the Juumonji's Phalanx would prove more difficult than he had expected. Completing the Iron Testudo would allow for his barrier to be nigh impenetrable. The structure of his Testudo was mechanically superior to that of the Phalanx; the honeycomb tessellation optimally distributed the force of any impact throughout the entire shield, dispersing it. Breaking the shield would require breaking the entire structure itself or separating the linkage between the cells, unlike the Phalanx whose weakness was its straightforward rectangular shape.

He deduced a single powerful attack, concentrated onto the center of the barrier could potentially pierce through all the layers, and therefore the regenerative capabilities of the Phalanx. Its threshold for force, while high, was definitely not up to the Testudo's level. It was like comparing plate armor against chainmail.

However, its regeneration allowed for it to be kept sustained indefinitely. As long as the Juumonji had energy to keep the barrier alive, there would be no need to recast it. Also it's simple shape allowed for the barrier to act as a weapon, slamming into enemies and crushing them as if they had run headfirst into a barrier.

Tatsuya mentally rolled his eyes. Only someone as straightforward as a Juumonji could think of using a shield as a weapon. They use their defense as their best offense. Tatsuya was certain Sun Tzu had said the exact opposite.

But Tatsuya believed in the exact opposite. Instead of hybridizing his magics for both offense and defense, the Iron Testudo would be his ultimate defense. If he could only figure out how to replicate the regenerative nature of the Phalanx...

"Are you a new student? It's almost time for the ceremony." Somebody spoke, right above him. What? Right above? He snapped his terminal shut, fully alert. His eyes quickly rose up. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Tatsuya quickly stood up and rose to see who had snapped him out of his work. How could he have been so foolish as to lose himself in the code. He had been so deeply in thought he became unaware of his surroundings. That level of inattentiveness was unacceptable.

His eyebrows rose when he met face to face with a young girl. Perhaps not face to face, as it seemed like he needed to look down and she needed to look up for them to even make eye contact. Nevertheless, this girl with her long flowing black hair, and piercing red eyes had a beauty that could give even Miyuki a run for her money.

But Tatsuya wasn't about to say that, nor was he ever going to tell his sister. He was surprised that thought had even crossed his mind. The only few people he had ever appraised for their beauty was his sister, his mother, and his aunt. The latter two purely out of courtesy. He narrowed his eyes. Who was this person?

His sight strayed down, then back up, and then onto the little flower pinned onto her jacket, and then onto the CAD that was around her wrist. A Course 1 student, and an executive board member to boot. Only executive board members or the public moral committee members were allowed to handle CAD freely on campus, and judging by her lack of an armband, she must have been on the executive side. Whether it be student council or the club management group, he didn't know.

He just knew she was an upperclassman, and was probably quite knowledgeable. He hoped she hadn't recognized his work.

"It's quite alright. Thank you for letting me know." He gave a polite bow before trying to walk away. Her voice, however, kept him where he stood. He knew better than to walk away when someone spoke to him.

"A screen-type, huh? I see it's seen some use." She pointed to the condition of his terminal. The paint was coming off, and the hinges were loose. It was old but handy.

"Yes. It's much more suitable for reading." As opposed to virtual terminals that displayed holographic images outright, screen-type terminals allowed for one to scroll through texts as if a book were in your hands.

"Ah, one who enjoys reading as much as I do. I'm glad." She almost squealed in delight. It was the strangest thing to Tatsuya's eyes. He had never seen anyone this happy and active before. "Ah, I beg your pardon. I'm the student council president, Saegusa Mayumi."

He narrowed his eyes. So he was right about her being an executive member. Student council president. That meant she was one of the most powerful people on campus, and a Saegusa too. That could prove to be an issue.

"Nice to meet you, Saegusa-sempai. Shiba Tatsuya." He politely bowed once more. He could almost see the curiosity in her eyes. There was wonder, and there was thought. Perhaps he was being a little too polite? Could his mannerisms be used to deduce his lineage? What was she thinking...

"Hm... Nope. I have no idea who you are... but... your name does seem to ring a bell." Her eyes narrowed, examining him. Nobody knew who they were. But to be this close to a Saegusa, even Tatsuya was mentally sweating.

"Ah, you might be referring to my sister. Shiba Miyuki." He tried pushing the conversation in a different direction.

"Hm...maybe. She's the one the freshman representative, right?" He nodded. "I didn't know you were related."

"If you are referring to my situation as a reserve, then I must admit we do not share much in common. However, I assure you we share the same blood." ...The blood of the Yotsuba.

"Oh no, no, no. I didn't mean that." She shook her head in embarrassment. "You just don't look like twins to me, that's all."

"No worries. My sister and I were born 11 months apart. I was born in April, and she in March. That's why we're in the same grade." At his words, she pulled out her own screen-type terminal and scrolled down some list. He wondered if he was allowed to leave, but in the presence of his president, he opted to wait a little longer until he was dismissed. Luckily, she spoke relatively soon.

"I see... Then Shiba-kun, may I ask a question?" Tatsuya rose an eyebrow quizzically.

"Of course. I'll try to answer it as best as I can."

"Good," she giggled. "I'd like to know how you managed to cheat it."

"I beg your pardon?" Cheat what?

"The examination system. How did you do it? It's supposed to be flawless." What...? Whoa.

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. She did not just ask that question.

He stood there, staring at her for a brief second, stunned. He quickly recovered and hid his surprise.

"I'm not sure I follow. What examination system?" Playing innocent would be the best option. If he refused her claim enough, she would expect it to be false. All he had to do was make sure he didn't say anything even more revealing.

"The practical exam. Cheating the written exam would have been easy. All you needed to do was write some wrong answers, but how did you manage to get a low score on the practicals?" She was sharp. How she was deducing this, he had no clue but she seemed to know everything. But he was sure to have kept his practical examination flawless. There was no possible way anyone could have guessed he had a second Magical Calculation Area. There was no evidence of any of that.

"I'm sorry, but I believe you're mistaken. My score reflects my skill, and as you said, the systems are flawless. There's no way I could have cheated."

"Only based on the current theory and knowledge that we now possess." Tatsuya looked at her. This girl was full of surprises. "Magic theory is actually one of my strong points."

Ah, so that was why. She actually knew what she was talking about. However, she still had no proof.

"Perhaps, but that would suggest that I, a mere reserve, know something that a Course 1 student didn't know. That no other magician would know. Not only is that a dangerous thing to infer, but also highly improbable."

"Then explain your low written exam."

"Those were difficult questions. I assure you, I had not the slightest idea how to solve some of those problems, like the Loop Cast one."

"Impossible. You were just reading an article on cutting-edge reinforcement-type magics. Some of the information there would be much more difficult than what was present on the exam. If you can understand that, then there's no explanation for your low score." So she had seen what he was doing. He mentally cursed his luck. He was careless, and now he was being punished. She continued. "Unless you failed the exam on purpose."

He supposed he was lucky she didn't recognize the 'article.' He was lucky his research was all written in the format preferred by the military, and subsequently the magical community. After all, 90% of magical research is done by the military for the military. Rarely are magicians seen outside of combat.

"And how does this lead into your suspicions about my practical exam?" He might as well see where else he screwed up.

"Well the simple fact that you're hiding your theoretical knowledge opens the gate for the possibility that you're trying to hide something morel. This, and the fact that your sister is Shiba Miyuki, the one who scored a record high on the practical exam, makes me think your lying. How you managed to trick the system is something I'm curious about."

Ah, so he deduced his skill through lineage. It was true, magicians were born and made through blood. There was no such thing as a son born from two powerful magicians who was not a magician himself. Perhaps magician was the incorrect word. Tatsuya was one such case. Instead, it could be said that these children were Psion-receptive. While Tatsuya in the most basic sense cannot be considered a magician, his other abilities, decomposition, regrowth, and elemental sight, were all based on his innate proclivity towards sensing the Psions around him.

Mayumi was correct in her deduction. But even so, she had no proof. All he had to do was deny everything.

"Hm. An interesting theory, however incorrect. My practical skills are truly eclipsed by my sister's, and as for my written exam. Suffice to say, it was a bad day. I completely understand the Loop Cast system, however during the test, my mind simply drew a blank. I am ashamed to say it, but that's all there is to it."

"No. I refuse to accept that. There's no way you could have scored that low. Even if you say you're skills are eclipsed by your sisters, give her score, you should at least be in Course 1. What you claim is a physical impossibility." Tatsuya mentally swore. She knew too much.

"...Thank you for the conversation, Saegusa-san. However, I must be going. I wouldn't want to miss my sister's presentation." Tatsuya walked away, leaving Mayumi standing there. He knew she was probably angry that he avoided that last notion.

He had no rebuttal. No excuse.

From his one mistake, his one moment of carelessness, she had ripped his entire disguise apart. Perhaps if he had not failed the written exam, his original excuse would hold, but it was his mistake. Despite that, Tatsuya only inwardly smiled to himself as he left for the auditorium.

First High had some interesting people after all.

* * *

><p><strong>(First High, Student Council Room)<strong>

Two people sat in the student council room with papers scattered all across the table. The beginning of the year was always a mess. Finding new candidates to fill in open positions was rather stressful and time consuming.

"Ah, Mayumi. Why the angry face? You seemed mad the entire orientation." Watanabe Mari laughed as her friend pouted. Mayumi was usually happy, nonchalant, and active. Rarely was she ever this moody.

"It's because of this guy..." Mari let out a little gasp. She rose her eyebrows suggestively. "No! Mari! It's not like that!"

"Uh huh. Okay. Who is he?"

"He's a lying jerk!"

"Aw, how long has this been going on for?" Mari giggled at Mayumi's sputters. The president could barely speak, and her face flushed red from both anger and embarrassment.

"Mari!" She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Okay, okay. I'm just teasing. What's the guy's name?" Now she was actually interested in this person. Whoever made Mayumi this mad must have been something.

"Shiba Tatsuya."

"Shiba? The freshman representative?" Mayumi shook her head.

"Her brother."

"Huh. I didn't know she had a brother. I don't think I saw his name anywhere up on the student list."

"Did you look at all the students?" Mari shook her head. She only looked through the Course 1 students to search for potential candidates for the Public Morals Committee.

"Then that's why."

"Wait. That would mean he's a Course 2 student." Mari almost burst out laughing. "You were so riled up by a Course 2 student? What happened?"

"He's lying, that's what. He's not supposed to be a Course 2 student. He cheated to get in."

"What do you mean?" Her mood turned serious. Cheating on exams was not tolerated at all. If this Shiba Tatsuya truly did cheat on his exams, then it was her job was the Chairwoman of the Public Morals Committee to get him expelled, and replaced.

It was strange, though. Even if he cheated on the written exam, if he had the same magical talent his sister did, he at least would have gotten in as a reserve. In fact, he probably should have been in Course 1 with how heavily the practicals were weighted.

"He somehow cheated on the practicals. I don't know how, but I'm almost certain he did."

"Do you have any proof? We can get him expelled, you know." Mayumi suddenly stopped walking.

"What! No! Mari, you can't get him expelled!" The president shook the chairwoman by the arms. "You can't!"

"Why not? He cheated!"

"Yeah, to score _lower_." What?

"What?" Mari had to think about that twice. "Did you just say he cheated to get _lower_?"

"Yeah. I think his scores should be higher. I talked to him this morning, but all he did was make excuses, and then when I cornered him, he avoided the question by leaving! Suspicious! And rude!" The president crossed her arms across her chest. Mari stopped to think. She had never thought about anyone who would want to purposely do worse.

"Do you think it's because he purposely wanted to fail the entrance exam? Maybe it's an issue with home. Rebellion against his parents." If it were a case of simple rebellion or even domestic abuse, the Public Morals Committee were the ones who investigated to make sure the well-being of the students were upheld.

"Nah. If he wanted to just flunk out, he wouldn't have answered any of the questions on the written portion at all. He purposely answered a few correct, and a few wrong."

"Maybe you're just over thinking this. Maybe he's just bad at theory." It was possible, common even. In fact, there were actually many of the students could improve in terms of theory. However, society's current place for magicians was in the military, so combat and applications were preferred.

"I caught him reading some article on advanced applications of reinforcement-type magic. Some really complicated stuff. It's the kind of thing where people make up an application in their head, and a magical engineer is tasked to figure out how to make it a reality."

"Really... Huh. That is strange."

"I told you."

"But isn't reinforcement-type magic mainly used for structural systems, and defensive magics? If it were a new type of defensive magic, I think I know just the person to ask..."

"Mari, you're a genius! Call him over!"

Not minutes later, a knock came from the door. Juumonji Katsuto strode in, his height and tall frame dwarfing the other two.

"You called?" As Club Leader, Juumonji had been working with the rest of the clubs for the annual showcase. New students could roam around and figure out what clubs they were interested in. It was a rather large event.

"Juumonji-kun! You're here. We need some help." Mayumi beamed. Perhaps Katsuto could shed some more light on this mysterious man named Shiba Tatsuya.

"Yeah, Mayumi's obsessed with a guy." Mari teased her friend. It was entertaining to watch the president get embarrassed and flustered. She tended to do that a lot.

"Mari!" Mayumi complained.

"Sorry, sorry. Juumonji-kun, do you know anyone named Shiba Tatsuya? He's been doing some research on reinforcement-type magic. I hoped you or your family could help us out."

"Because that's our expertise. Hm. Shiba Tatsuya... Shiba. Can't say I have. Let me give my family a call." Katsuto pulled out his phone and walked over to the corner to make the call.

It was only a matter of minutes, but he returned, shaking his head.

"Nothing. We'll dig deeper a bit later, but my family has more pressing domestic matters to sort out first. It may be a while before they can find anything. May I ask why this guy's so important?"

"He cheated on his exams. Mayumi here thinks he purposely scored lower than his skill level."

"Perhaps he had a personal reason. Have you thought of simply leaving it be? His 'cheating,' if it can even be called that, does not endanger anyone in the school, nor does it change the overall total applicants. If anything, all it did was boost the person right in between Course 1 and Course 2 up to Course 1."

"No, no, no. That's not the point! It's more than just him cheating. It's about _how_ he cheated. The reason magicians believe the system the examination uses is perfect in determining things like activation speed is because of something known as the Free After Execution Theory. Currently, the gap between initiating a magic sequence, and the manifestation of its effects is so small that nobody can control it.

"But Shiba-kun managed to somehow extend that time. He managed to change something normally thought to be impossible. Don't you get it? If that was true, then a magician could control the magic even after it's finished casting! This is perhaps one of the greatest breakthroughs in modern magical theory!"

"Wait, Mayumi. Calm down for a second. This is preposterous. First of all, we have no solid evidence that this is true. It's actually possible that his practical scores just happen to be that low. Despite his relation to his sister, maybe this is all just a fluke. You can't just accuse someone of a huge breakthrough in magical theory. Let's think of the other possibilities," Mari said. "What about casting a second magic?"

"With what CAD? Only a single CAD could be brought into the examination room, and those were the ones assigned to the individual takers." This time, Katsuto spoke. "I'm thinking somebody helped him. Outside magic."

"But to do that, the person would have to be inside the examination room as well. They couldn't possibly predict which machine would be taken."

"What if that person _was_ inside. Another student who could bring in a CAD."

"But who would want to do that? You only get this chance once! Nobody in their right minds would do such a thing!" Mayumi couldn't understand. For an exam that important, everybody focused on doing his or her best. Nothing else. "And why would he go to such lengths just to fail an exam? It seems like this was more of a personal or solo-thing."

"She's right, Club Leader. If we do believe the reason is highly personal, there's little chance that he would have planted another student to throw away their exam by programming their CAD for a separate magic. Even so, having multiple people try to rewrite a phenomenon would only create interference. I don't think this is probable."

"...What if he didn't use CAD." At Mayumi's words, both Mari and Katsuto looked up at her in shock.

"That's impossible –!" Mari tried to say before she was cut off by Katsuto.

"No it's not. But do you know what you're accusing?" He was staring straight at Mayumi. The girl clutched the edge of her chair. "President, you are stepping into dangerous territory."

"I don't know... Nobody knows why he did it. Any possible explanation gets ruled out as 'improbable,' but what if it's the truth?!"

"Okay, can somebody clarify what's going on? How can somebody cast magic without the use of a CAD?" The reason Mari didn't know what was happening was because she wasn't a member of the Ten Master Clans. Only a select few have ever heard of it, and even fewer have seen it in person. How it happens, nobody knows. But it is an undeniable truth that it is possible, but only by a single group.

"...Yotsuba." Mayumi barely even spoke that name. She spoke in a hushed whisper as if she was calling the reaper himself. For some, that name equated to death.

"There are some urban legends within the Ten Master Clans about people casting magic without a CAD. Each and every legend, however, has one name in common: Yotsuba. Mayumi, you cannot think that he is part of the Yotsuba clan." Even Juumonji stared with a grim expression written on his face.

Mayumi only shook her head. An eerie silence descended.

Even Mari knew of the Yotsuba. Their secrecy, and their deceit. They lived in the shadows, few in number but each and every one as deadly as a hundred men. They were every child magician's nightmare.

"Okay, we need to stop drawing these baseless conclusions." Even Mari knew how ridiculous their conversation had derailed. They somehow ended up concluding that Shiba Tatsuya was a member of the highly secretive Yotsuba clan. If that were true, then his sister –

"No. We need to go back, and get more evidence. Think about this again. We missed something from somewhere, because there is no way this conclusion could be true." Mayumi and Katsuto agreed.

"Okay. I agree. We're not basing this off of anything concrete. We'll observe him, and see if anything else pops up. We'll take this one step at a time, but I assure you: as president of First High School, we will find our answer to this mystery."

But sometimes, some things are just meant to stay hidden.

* * *

><p><strong>(Shiba Residence)<strong>

Miyuki opened the door to her brother's room, a tray of food in hand. She had prepared dinner, and brewed some tea. Over the past 24 hours, her brother barely slept, and spent most of his time thinking. He didn't do work. He didn't talk. He simply sat around the house, thinking. Occasionally, he would curse to himself, and get up to walk around. Sometimes he would move around from the living room couch to the dining table, to the desk in his room. She was worried.

"Onii-sama, I made some – oh." She stopped herself. Her brother was at his desk, head down. It seemed as if the constant thought had gotten him drowsy, and put him to sleep. She placed the tray beside his sleeping self, and turned to peak at his sleeping form.

His head lay turned on its side, cushioned from the hard wooden surface by his hand. There were no furrowed brows. No scowl. He looked nothing like a person who held the powers of a god in his hands.

Her brother looked at rest. Her brother looked serene.

She hadn't even realized how close she had gotten when he snapped her out of her thought. His eyes jerked open, and locked onto hers. She quickly backed off, blood rushing to her face. She could feel her cheeks and ears burning red with embarrassment. She had been so close to him!

"Miyuki." He picked his head off of the table, eyes never leaving hers.

"Uh, heh. I, uh. I made you food... You seemed stressed out lately, so I made you dinner." As she spoke, her voice went higher, and her volume went lower until she was whispering and squeaking at the same time. The only one who could make her do this was the man before her. How she hated her brother for making her feel this way.

Tatsuya said nothing, but picked up a spoonful. Spicy curry with vegetable chunks on top of a bowl of white rice. The food was peculiar. Slightly burnt. Nevertheless, he bit into the food.

"Sorry. The curry is a little burnt." Miyuki looked at the less-than-satisfactory job she did of making the food. It wasn't like she couldn't cook. On the contrary, she usually did a fabulous job making dinner for the both of them. Usually. There were times when she made a mistake. No harm done. Normally she would remake but they had ran out of groceries. She had meaning to go shopping. "I should have made something else. I'm sorry, onii-sama."

Tatsuya said nothing while he finished his bowl. He then took a sip of his tea.

"It's good." Good? She knew it wasn't good. It was a little better than military rations. There was nothing 'good' about that. "Thank you, Miyuki."

Why did he finish eating her cooking? It wasn't good. She knew it wasn't good. He was lying, and she knew it! Why did he have to do that? It was her fault. She was the one who messed up, but he said nothing. He even finished all of it, and said it was good. He was always protecting her. He was always sacrificing himself to make her happy.

Miyuki's flustered mood only got angry. Why did her brother have to keep doing this? It was unfortunate that she had difficulty controlling her magic when she got emotional. While it was relatively difficult to get her emotional in the first place, her brother seemed to be able to incur her ire.

She didn't even realize what had happened, but she heard a bowl break, as shards crashed onto the floor. Her brother fell from his chair, and landed on the ground.

There was no blood. His healing was too fast for that. She knew he was fine before he even touched the ground. It was so quick. Regrowth happened in an instant.

He did, however, grumble as he got off the floor, picking out a few shards that had scratched his skin. He wouldn't need to regenerate for something as small as a scratch. Anything a little more fatal and painful, yes, but using Regrowth on something so trivial was unnecessary.

"...I'm sorry, Onii-sama." She quickly ran out and grabbed the first aid kit before rushing back in. Surprisingly enough, the shards were no longer on the ground. Instead, the bowl, fully repaired, sat on top of his desk. "...Here."

She pulled out a few bandages, and began covering his wounds. They were small, but there were many of them.

"Why did you need to eat it, huh? I told you it was bad. It was my fault. I should have just made something else instead of forcing you to eat that." She was angry. Angry that he had eaten her food. Angry that she had failed in making her brother happy Angry that she had hurt him. Angry that he didn't even respond, much less get angry back.

"Anything made by my little sister is delicious to me. It tastes the best because you made it, so don't look down on yourself. You need to take a break."

"..." She couldn't even say anything. Her brother knew how to make her feel better. He always knew. "You're the one who needs a break."

"I suppose I do," he laughed. "But I need to make sure my secret isn't found. You know our aunt would be furious if we led the Saegusa to her doorstep."

Miyuki sat down on her brother's bed. It was comfortable.

"Onii-sama...," she began to ask.

"Yes?"

"Why do you hide your true strength?" It was a question that had been bugging her all throughout the day. Ever since she had seen his scores, she had trusted and believed in him. She knew he knew what he was doing. But still, she wanted answers. She wanted to know what he was doing too.

"Because that's just what we do." We. He was using the word 'we' to indicate the collective whole. The Yotsuba family. Born in secrecy, they lived in the shadows, unseen and unheard. Nobody knew who the Yotsuba was. For all anyone really knows, they could have been anywhere. They could be anyone. And that was what made that name a nightmare for any magician. They could be everywhere, and they _were_ everywhere. "And plus, _you_ know my true strength. And that's all that really matters, right?"

"Right." Of course. As long as she knew what he was capable of, she was content. While she would like it for others to revel in her brother's greatness, it wasn't as important.. As long as she knew, he was happy, and as long as he was happy, she reckoned she could live with herself.

After all, she was the only one he truly cared for. Right?

* * *

><p>Tatsuya waited until Miyuki was asleep before going into the living room. The large TV monitor was connected to a secure communications grid that allowed him to securely call home. He stood in front of the monitor, staring at the three dots as it connected him back to the Yotsuba mansion. There was a soft dialing tone.<p>

"Tatsuya." His mother appeared on screen. "It's late. You should be in bed."

"I could say the same for you." Tatsuya genuinely smiled at the face of his mother. Ever since Okinawa. No, ever since the operation, she had been taking better care of herself. With Sakurai Honami at her side, she looked better than she had in years. He was glad she was recovering.

"Yet you were the one to call me." The hour might have been late, but both mother and son knew the other wouldn't be resting just yet.

"Hm. Touché ." She did have a point. But the call was important. Necessary, even. "But I needed to talk to you. I don't know how to proceed."

"With what?"

"My situation. A Saegusa managed to figure out that I faked my entrance exam scores." He could see his mother's face cringe in disgust at the name 'Saegusa.' "I know she'll investigate."

"Do you think she'll get far?"

"Possibly. She saw my work on the Iron Testudo. She's had suspicions, and when she cornered me, I dropped the conversation under the pretense that I was going to be late for Miyuki's orientation speech. That only made me seem even more suspicious."

"How suspicious you seem doesn't matter. What matters is whether or not you left a trail of breadcrumbs straight to the Yotsuba doorstep."

He tried to think. Could there be any possible way for the Saegusa – Mayumi – to conclude that he was a member of the Yotsuba family? It was doubtful. Unless she specifically asked her father...

"Her father. Saegusa Koichi knows you, doesn't he?"

"That was over thirty years ago. He doesn't remember me. That much, I'm sure. Worst case, that name will lead anyone to your father and Tatsurou has left no evidence of his connection to this family."

Tatsuya's father was always a difficult subject. He knew his mother cared little for the man. After all, his purpose was to produce magically gifted offspring for the Yotsuba family. In turn, they would fund the company he was VP of, Four Leaves Technologies. The man only cared enough for his children to stay within the Yotsuba's good graces.

He honestly spent more time having an affair with his previous partner, Furuha Sayuri. Miya knew, but never cared. He had done his job, and that was what mattered. Their marriage was a business trade. Both parties benefited, emotions and everything else was aside.

Despite his infidelity, at least Tatsurou was efficient at clearing his own tracks. Tatsuya supposed there _was_ a thing or two he could learn from his father.

"...There's nothing else that I can think of."

"Are you certain?" Miya was skeptical.

"No." There was always room for error.

"Then give them a fake track to follow. Lead them down a separate road so they'll miss the clues in front of them."

Yes, create a diversion. Create a plausible excuse, and let the Saegusa draw the wrong conclusions. At the very least, the red herrings would confuse those investigating. He quickly thanked his mother before ending the call. There was another one he needed to make.

He phoned the 101.

* * *

><p><strong>(Tokyo Military Base: 101 Magic Equipped Battalion)<strong>

"Onii-sama, is this really necessary?" Miyuki pouted as the pair walked out of the car.

"You didn't have to come you know?" He laughed, but that only made his sister pout even more.

"You know I did..." She grumbled under her breath.

"Special Lieutenant. You said you would explain why you're here. You sounded quite urgent over the phone." Of course he did.

"_Shiba. This is unexpected."_

"_Sorry, Major. I need to talk to you immediately. Can you send a cab in the morning? As early as possible." _

"_Tatsuya, calm down. Explain what's going on. Wasn't today your first day at school?"_

"_Yeah. I'll explain later, but please send a cab as soon as possible. And Fujibayashi-san as well. Is she off duty?"_

"_Uh, yeah. She is. Look, I'll send a cab over to you at 6:00. 4 hours. Just stay put, and relax. You can brief me when you get here."_

"_Thank you, Major."_

"_Take care, Special Lieutenant."_

"Sorry, sir. Is she here? Can we speak together in private?" Kazama nodded, and led the siblings through the base until they reached the Major's office. Second Lieutenant Fujibayashi Kyouko was already seated.

"Tatsuya-kun. What happened? The Major said you had an emergency."

"I do. My identity may have been compromised." Tatsuya said, a grave expression on his face. He felt a small bit of fear. It was an emotion he rarely felt. This wasn't the same as the true fear he experienced upon seeing his dying family in Okinawa. No, this was more of a lurking dread, overhanging and threatening to crush him slowly.

"Already? It's been one day. As Ooguro Ryuuya?" The military was more focused on ensuring that Ooguro Ryuuya was not compromised. That was their primary concern. Anything else would be considered personal, and therefore secondary.

"Nobody knows of Ryuuya. I doubt the students even know he exists. No, my identity as a Yotsuba will soon be under scrutiny. They'll find out I'm a member." Tatsuya placed his face in his hands and sighed. This was stressful.

"First of all, who is 'they?'" Kazama inquired.

"It's not even a 'they.' At least not yet. The only person who's had her suspicions is a girl, a third-year and Student Council President of First High, a member of the Saegusa clan. However, I expect she has either told her family or others by now."

"Saegusa... I can see why you're having a problem. How did this happen?"

"I was careless. She learned a few things she shouldn't have. One, I unknowingly confirmed my blood relation to Miyuki, currently the highest ranked freshman and representative." While it was subtle, Tatsuya praised his sister. "Two, she learned of my atrocious exam scores in both the practical, and written portions. And three, she saw my experimental research reports on the Iron Testudo." The last one was the one that tied everything together.

"She knows you made the Testudo?" Kazama slightly paled. That was military-grade secret that should have been locked down. Tatsuya shouldn't even have been able to take it outside a military base, but the higher ups agreed that his constant improving of the magic would be more beneficial. If this information was leaked out...

"No, she doesn't know the specifics. Only that it's high-level reinforcement-type magic."

"So it's not enough to deduce you were the creator of the Testudo. Good." The Major sighed in relief. That would also mean the Yotsuba wouldn't have to be on the military's rear end; more specifically, his rear end.

"But it was enough to deduce that my scores were a poor representation of my intellect. Having her see my research was my second mistake. The first was failing the written portion anyways. I should have simply done well on the written exam. Then this wouldn't even have happened."

"So she thought you were lying. That opens up the possibility that you were lying on your practicals as well, and with your blood relation to Miyuki, one could generally assume you had an equally inherent talent for magic." Kazama sat down on his chair and rubbed his temples. "This is quite the problem."

"Yes, but luckily, I can control the damage. I need to lead her off course." Tatsuya turned towards Kyouko. "Fujibayashi-san. I would like your help. More specifically, I need the Electron Sorceress."

Fujibayashi looked at him quizzically. He wanted her help. More specifically, he wanted her skills as a magician.

"Oh? I'm surprised you would need my skills. What do you want?"

Her moniker, the Electron Sorceress, came from her unconventional application of magic. Whereas most combat magicians fought head to head on the battlefield, Kyouko dominated cyberspace, hacking into security networks and databases; she would bypass the initial security system, gather all of their data, and leave while crippling their network's defenses. She was a nightmare for cybersecurity.

Her skills would be perfect.

"I need you you to hack into a machine's hardware."

"Not networks or databases?"

"Not necessary." He only needed to know how to rig a physical machine.

"Aw, and those were the most fun, too. Well, that's okay. I'm assuming you want to get into your examination machines. Am I right?" He nodded. She caught onto his plan.

"Can it be done?"

"Certainly. If we could get our hands on one of those machines, I could generate an activation sequence that would give you your desired output. That's the easy part. The hard part is getting one of those machines. Lucky for you, the machines used for practice in the schools are identical. I'll pay a visit to Second High."

She looked at Kazama. He would need to approve of her time off, and subsequently the mission.

The Major rummaged around his office, checking each folder that was stacked on his desk. They were an assortment of reports from the soldiers, and requests from his superiors. He made sure there were no conflicting missions that required the Second Lieutenant. There was a covert operation scheduled a week from then.

"Okay, Second Lieutenant. You've got five days. You're needed for an operation one week from today. I want ample time for you to be briefed, and prepared. You know to keep communications online at all times. If there's an emergency I expect you to return as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir." Fujibayashi stood, and saluted. "Tatsuya, I'll get back to you by tonight."

She never thought she needed to go back to school...

* * *

><p><strong>(Kokonoe Temple)<strong>

Movement was the essence of fighting. The best fighters were not the ones who could hit the hardest, or lift the heaviest. It was the one who could move the fastest, darting back and forth, light on his or her feet. Jabs so swift a victim could see only a blur out of the corner of his eyes before feeling the impact against his chin.

His teacher had told him the very first day that if he ever stopped moving during a fight, he might as well have died.

Being motionless meant being an easy target. It meant not going on the offensive. It meant losing the fight, or possibly worse. No, the best fighters were surely the ones who could keep on moving the legs, their arms, and their bodies.

This was why acceleration magic was so potent in Tatsuya's fighting style. This was also why a single Yotsuba could take out a hundred normal men.

The principles of Flash Cast were based on removing the use of a CAD. Constructing activation sequences from memory, users could rewrite phenomena without any outside assistance. Not only was it convenient, but it was quick, hence its name. By cutting out that middle man, the CAD, the Yotsuba were able to reduce their activation speeds to a fraction of the time it originally took.

Tatsuya took it one step further. Instead of constructing activation sequences that would be sent to the subconscious Magical Calculation Area where it would be processed into magical sequences and then manifested as modern magic, Tatsuya directly constructed the magic sequences in his conscious mind.

The artificial Calculation Area integrated in a conscious part of his brain allowed him to create magic at will. It was the only true Flash Cast. It was instant. It was perfect.

Tatsuya weaved in between the numerous enemies, blocking every punch thrown at him and retaliating with a fist of his own. His hands were a blur, moving so fast it could only be accomplished through magical augmentation.

He accelerated his arms at the joints, letting them fly out at inhuman speeds and smashing into the guts of his opponents. He constantly kept his body moving. He brought his leg up for a roundhouse kick, and used magic to fire his leg like a rocket. It was unfortunate. The victim careened off to the side and crashed into a wooden wall.

Luckily, the wall was heavily reinforced. Unluckily, the impact knocked the man unconscious and most likely gave him a concussion.

Tatsuya rolled over to his side, barely dodging a hook aimed straight for his head by the strongest of his enemies. The two locked eyes before Tatsuya dashed forward.

No, dash wasn't the right word. He barely moved his legs at all. He gently leaned forward and pushed off of the ground before activating acceleration magic. His body gained speed, but he felt no different. Acceleration magic wasn't applying a force onto an object. There was nothing physically pushing him to move faster. There was no impulse, no force, and therefore no reactionary jerking feeling.

Isaac Newton had no laws here.

All Tatsuya saw was the world around him blur, his vision narrowing as he recognized the all too familiar sight of high speed tunnel vision. The world around him spun out of focus, and disoriented him, so he did the only thing he could.

He closed his eyes, and opened that inner third eye.

Elemental Sight.

And suddenly, that high speed blur seemed like nothing to him. He knew the location of every enemy. He knew what they were doing. How fast their arms and legs were moving. The amount of strength placed in each punch, and kick.

But more importantly, he knew where _he_ was going. Without Elemental Sight, Tatsuya wouldn't know when to stop. That was the largest drawback in combat with acceleration magic. Had he not used elemental sight, his vision would remain a blur, and he would continue to move in a straight line until he crashed into something.

An opposite, reactionary deceleration was needed to stop his movement.

Not a fraction of a second had passed, and Tatsuya opened his eyes. In that split instant, he had traveled enough distance to be right in front of his enemy. Face to face. And the very next instant, his fists exploded like pistons, rocketing out from his body and blasting into the chest of his opponent.

It was fortunate that Tatsuya was using reinforcement magic on his hand, otherwise the recoil from his own punch would have fractured a few weaker bones in his wrist. In the end, magic had to follow the laws of physics. While phenomena rewriting seemed to defy any scientific law, the mechanics of a punch would remain consistent.

He barely even registered the pain shooting up his arm. Reinforcement magic ensured his hand wouldn't break. Nobody ever said it stopped the pain.

And to make matters worse, his opponent was a highly trained combat expert as well. At the location of Tatsuya's punch, his enemy had reinforced his own body through a form of ancient magic. Ninjutsu rendered Yakumo's body a block of solid steel that Tatsuya had the pleasure of driving his fist.

His teacher fell onto the ground and clutched his chest.

"Yeaow! That really hurt, Tatsuya-kun. As always, your hand-to-hand combat is unmatched." Tatsuya walked up and offered his teacher a hand, pulling him to his feet. "Not even 50 against 1 can beat you, huh?"

The rest of the students were on the floor groaning, clutching different parts of their body, or were completely knocked out. They would all be fine. They were hardy individuals, after all.

"I doubt I would've won had I not augmented myself with magic. Defeating 50 experienced opponents alone without magic would be a feat only the greatest martial artists could accomplish. I can barely hold my own against you in that regard."

"Nonsense. Let's test that claim right now." Yakumo dusted himself and cracked his knuckles, returning into a fighting stance.

"You are still able to fight?" The man did take quite a few hits.

"Of course! You don't think a master like me would lose to someone half his age, do you? Ready yourself, Tatsuya-kun." The man dashed forward, swinging his leg to kick Tatsuya in the face. "And one more thing. No magic."

Tatsuya had enough time to raise his arms before another leg flashed out a kicked him in the ribs. He backed off slightly, thankful his teacher had let up on the aggression.

No magic, huh? Well he wasn't a guardian for nothing. He, too, positioned himself in a fighting stance.

* * *

><p><strong>(First High, Off-Campus)<strong>

That afternoon, Tatsuya was tired. Normally, his body would revert to a point if his combat capabilities fell below a certain threshold, but that was only physical fatigue. Tatsuya, however, was experiencing a mental drain.

He had a restless night. Then in the morning, he met with Major Kazama. After that, he had his daily training with Kokonoe Yakumo at his temple. Then right after getting his ass whooped in the one-on-one, he had to leave for school, where he had to put up with immature, arrogant Course 1 students who continuously harassed his sister.

Normally, he wouldn't care. She didn't seem bothered by all of the students surrounding her, and following her, so why should he? After all, seeing his sister showered with adoration was something that cracked a grin on his face. As long as Miyuki said nothing he would say nothing.

He wasn't the first to act, but he was most definitely the first one to react. All he wanted to do was go home with his sister. After a grueling day of being constantly denied her company, he was tired. It was selfish, not that he cared. She was _his_ sister after all.

A group of Course 1 students had once again, been pestering Miyuki to stay a bit longer. He had asked if she wanted to go home. Miyuki, however, was too sincere of a person to directly reject their advances. She wasn't cut-throat like he was. She wasn't desensitized. She had genuine feelings for others.

And while she would have put her foot down if he asked her to, he said nothing but the usual request to go home.

It was Mizuki who had first voiced her opinion on the Course 1 students' collective complaints. He was actually surprised at how fast the situation escalated. It seemed like all of the tension built up between the Course 1 and Course 2 students was instantly released the moment Morisaki Shun had dropped that bomb.

'Weed.'

Mizuki was the first one to explode. Then came Leo. The boy provoked Morisaki to act.

"I'll show you!" Morisaki Shun pulled out small pistol shaped CAD from his holster. They were technically off campus, so possessing CAD was not uncommon. However pulling it out against a fellow classmate? Unheard of.

The moment he saw the glint of the steel casing of a CAD, Tatsuya reached into his uniform. His hand grasped around the grip of his most prized weapon. By the time Morisaki pulled out his pistol, Tatsuya already had the Silver Horn Custom dubbed 'Trident' aimed and primed.

Obviously he couldn't decompose Morisaki Shun, although that thought did cross his mind. That would leave too much of a mess to clean up. Not physically, but verbally. How could he possibly explain deleting a classmate from existence.

Instead, Tatsuya swapped out the magazine holding the key sequences for his three-step decomposition. He opted for something much simpler. Gram demolition would be more than adequate to disable a few novice magicians.

However, he never even fired once. Before Morisaki could even activate any magic, a baton quickly knocked the CAD out of his hand. Erika reacted a moment after Tatsuya, albeit her strategy was a tad bit more direct.

One of the Course 1 students, upon seeing a baton hit Morisaki and a pistol aimed down their direction, activated her own magic. Tatsuya moved to blast her magic away, but he wasn't expecting a Psion Bullet fly all the way from another direction. However, his finger was already in motion. He pulled the trigger.

It's not like anything would have happened. Gram Demolition was just a large torrent of Psions flying towards a single position. They couldn't cause damage. The girl would be fine.

It was truly a surprise when something crashed into his side. Whatever it was, it was fast. He didn't see it from the corner of his eye, nor did he use Elemental Sight. It blind sided him, causing him to lose his grasp on Trident, the customized Silver Horn dropping to the ground.

He managed to recover, turning around and gripping his side. The damage wasn't enough to break any bones, but it managed to knock him back, and would cause quite the bruise on his side. Once again, Regrowth was not necessary.

He looked up to see a wooden blade pointing at his face, and a woman standing above him.

"You're under arrest. Follow me."

This day just couldn't get worse...

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, Chapter 3. This one was quite a bit harder to write, but I managed to push through it in the end. As you can tell, I'll be omitting Canon parts that I don't think will change. Meeting Mizuki, Leo, Erikia and Mikihiko is the same as canon, and therefore unecessary to write. I did however rewrite scenes that I feel will change like the meeting with Mayumi. <strong>

**Yes, she will be playing detective.**

**Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, or criticisms, please leave a review and let me know what you think.**


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